Edmund and Lucy
by Sesame seed
Summary: For years he has watched her, content only to be her brother, until he finds out that she is to be wed to another. Trigger warnings: contains sibling love and dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

This story is proving quite difficult to write, but I enjoy a challenge and wanted to know if I could tell such a taboo story successfully, which to be honest I'm not sure I'm managing at all.

The Chronicles of Narnia have always been among my favourite childhood stories but I always wondered about the parts left out – what happened to the Pevensies growing up in Narnia? Four children forced to adulthood quickly for the good of the kingdom? This is my dark take on it, and also it's really about Edmund who was always my favourite.

If you do not like taboo stories, themes of incest, or dark subjects, this is not the story for you.

 **'O Rose thou art sick.** **  
The invisible worm,  
That flies in the night  
In the howling storm:**

 **Has found out thy bed**  
 **Of crimson joy:**  
 **And his dark secret love**  
 **Does thy life destroy'.**

 _ **The Sick Rose,**_ _ **Songs of Experience**_

 _ **William Blake**_

 **Chapter 1**

The day dawned bright and promising, the heady morning light glinting off the white marbled columns of Cair Paravel and turning them to purest gold in the Narnian sun. Morning was always beautiful here reflected Lucy, it seemed as if hope itself shone brightly every day onto Narnia since the defeat of the White Witch. And the young fair girl, still dressed in her simple nightdress, leaning against a column and sketching the dawn, embodied that hope.

He watched her from the shadowed doorway, the tall dark-haired man silent and grim. He had not spoken to her for months, had only recently returned from an enforced absence – necessary, he had told Peter to inspect their borders.

And now he was back, stronger he had thought than before, but confronted with the sight of _her_ , her simple shift - gauzy and transparent in the sun, her light curls lifting in the breeze, and the smell of her, heady notes of jasmine and lily, a smell he could only describe as _innocence_ , he knew he was lost.

If he was to ever act upon his desires, war would be raged and pain and untold suffering would be visited again onto the green and pleasant lands of Narnia. Their enemies were merely biding their time, waiting for the Kings and Queens of Cair Paravel to slip up, for them to swoop in and seize their lands and people. He owed it to his family, his friends, the citizens of Narnia to protect them. This young fresh girl was not for him. The laws of the land prevented it, and for good reason. Incest was wrong.

A slight movement betrayed him, and Lucy turning cried out in delight at seeing him.

"Edmund!" she rose and flung herself at him, into his emotionless and unresisting arms. He had been so strange with her for months, cold and unresponsive, and for a girl who _always_ followed her heart, who was ruled by her passions, and who loved fiercely and unreservedly, especially her family, this had been hard to bear.

In the intervening months Edmund had been absent Lucy had resolved to ignore his coldness, to love him harder, to bring him back from wherever he was. She was used to his dark feelings of guilt for his actions during the war, for the way he had treated her and for his need to be alone, but she knew that his brooding only hurt him, and she desperately wished to be of comfort.

"I have missed you" she told him, and hugged him fiercely. Eventually his muscled arms came up around her and hugged her back.

"And I you" he said quietly.

Lucy thrilled to herself that she was making a breakthrough when a small cough interrupted them. She turned to see Alaina, her young handmaiden curtsying. Edmund made an involuntary noise and quickly turned away from both of them.

"Forgive the intrusion Mistress, but King Peter has summoned you and Kind Edmund to breakfast, he has something he wishes to share".

"Of course" replied Lucy "I will quickly dress…"

"No need Mistress, King Peter was insistent you both attend him promptly. I have brought your robe and slippers" and Alaina held out Lucy's silk dressing gown. Lucy shrugged it on quickly and turned to face her brother.

Edmund watched her coldly, his mask back in place. He was already dressed, or rather had not undressed from his travels. His black doublet and trousers splashed with mud, dark stubble dotted his sharp jawline and the bags under his dark blue eyes evidenced his weariness. He turned away from Lucy with a sneer and walked into the castle towards the Breakfast room without waiting for her.

He heard Lucy's small gasp behind him at his cold behaviour, but he forced himself to ignore it and walked quickly ahead. Reaching the blue doors of the Breakfast room he entered ahead of her and bowed to King Peter and Queen Susan, his brother and sister, already seated at the small intimate table and evidently waiting for him and Lucy.

Lucy hurried in a moment later, dishevelled and looking close to tears. Hating the emotional hold her brother had on her, she chose to ignore the silent man at her side, and concentrated her attention on her siblings across the table.

Peter waited for the servants to lay fruits, breads and juices upon the table and then when quietly withdrawing beamed delightedly upon his brother.

"It is as good seeing you this morning, as it was last night. Welcome home brother, you have been absent far too long". Peter said smiling; a good-looking boy he had grown into a handsome man, as tall as Edmund but considerably broader on the shoulders, his hair had darkened to the colour of old gold but his clear blue eyes still retained the mischief from his boyhood.

Edmund allowed himself a small smile and received with equanimity the hug and kiss from his sister Susan, who had risen to greet him. She was even more beautiful than she had been in the days when the quartet had first entered Narnia, a picture of elegance and grace, her long dark hair curled becomingly on her shoulders and her ruby red lips whispered of secret promises.

Lucy turned her face from him and studied the food in front of her. She would recover from his slight later she knew, but just at that moment she would not speak to him.

"I asked you to come here this morning brother and sisters for a most joyful reason" Peter began smiling at them all across the table.

"Corin from Archenland as you know has been visiting Narnia regularly for the last few months, and has asked if he might have the honour of our sister, Queen Lucy's hand in marriage".

This statement dropped casually onto the table, ignited like a flaming arrow onto straw.

"What?! He's asked what?" cried Susan, turning to her brother in disbelief and looking at her white-faced sister across the table. "She's just a child, she's too young".

"I…I..." hesitated Lucy "I look upon him as a friend, I thought that was what he wanted…"

But it was Edmund that started the fire "No, I forbid it".

"Edmund?" queried Peter in a tone of amused disbelief.

"No" said Edmund, firmly, quietly and in a tone that brooked no discussion.

"Edmund you cannot be serious" said Peter "Think of what we have been trying to do all these years – we need this alliance. You yourself said so, you have been out canvassing support across our borders – you know this. Calormen turns it's eyes towards Narnia, Prince Rabadash again demanded we give him Susan. We need Archenland more than ever".

Lucy watched the blood drain from Susan's face, she knew Susan was remembering Rabadash's latest visit to Cair Paravel, his insistence that Susan visit him soon in Tashbaan. Lucy had stumbled across them in the Rose Garden, Rabadash's arm about Susan's waist, his hand cruelly grabbing her face, only Lucy's inadvertent interruption had stopped him Susan had later told her. Stopped him from what Lucy was not precisely sure, but she had seen Susan's face and the genuine terror and knew that whatever _it_ was, it was a thing to be feared.

"We must consider this" Susan was saying Lucy realised "for Narnia and all of us. You like Corin don't you Luce? You said so yourself, you would be as two friends together and close for frequent visits".

As Lucy was slowly looking from Susan's sad face to Peter's encouraging one, Edmund's voice broke over them again, "I said no".

"Ed" began Peter exasperated.

"Give Susan to him, not Lucy, she is as you said Su, a child"

"Hey!" shouted Lucy outraged

"Shutup Ed, I am no possession to be given" said Susan hotly

"He wants Lucy" said Peter gently "And she is 17, she is not a child anymore. I know it's hard, but we do this for all of us, for our kingdom, and Corin is a gentle noble man, we could not hope for better for our sister"

Edmund rising from the table said "If you bring him here to do this, I will kill him" and left the room.

Peter and Susan looked at each other and then at Lucy. She stared through blurry eyes at the table, her feelings in turmoil.

"Luce" began Peter gently

"I will do my duty" she said quietly, and rising too quickly exited the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Edmund thrust his hands through his hair, tore off his jacket and shirt and stared at himself in his mirror. His tormented face mocked him, his dark hair sticking up erratically from where he had pulled it and the agony in his eyes…

Fool, fool, fool he cursed himself. He knew Peter to be right, Susan as usual was only thinking of saving her own skin, and as for Lucy…

He could picture it in his mind; Lucy's wedding night, her blonde hair soft and waving down her back, the delicate pink flush on her cheeks, her face tipped up to receive a kiss - Corin, also fair haired and skinned but rough - grabbing Lucy and holding her, kissing her crudely, pulling her yielding sweet body flush against his. Mounting her, possessing her, Lucy crying out – in pleasure? In pain? Edmund was not sure which thought was worse.

She was everything that they had fought for, she was the light, Aslan's favourite and the hope of Narnia. She who had an unerring sense of morality, and had saved him, from the White Witch and from himself.

He could not stand this, something had to be done.

Lucy had at first ran back to her chambers and allowed herself a storm of weeping for 10 minutes. Alaina had sensibly kept out of the way and let her get on with it. After that she sat up, cleaned her face and dressed herself in a simple blue dress. She was at heart a rational girl, and she knew the truth of what Peter said, she did, as she had also said, know her duty.

Her mind made up she decided that the next thing would be to find Edmund and convince him that she Lucy had accepted the situation and that he must too. She knew instinctively that it was concern for her that had prompted his outburst, Peter and Susan were very protective of Lucy, the baby of the family, but none more so than Edmund who had once threatened to horse-whip the Dwarf Ratchitt for making a joke at Lucy's expense.

Lucy wandering the Castle in search of her brother heard Edmund before she saw him, the whack of skin against leather and breath hissing alerted her that he was training in pugilism in the Games Room. Entering quietly, she observed him boxing the leather bag hanging from the ceiling, stood only in his black leggings, sweat ran in rivets down his back, toned muscles lifting and separating as his fists held high and steady punched the bag again and again. He tossed dripping hair off his forehead and resumed his work.

He really was an incredibly beautiful specimen Lucy thought to herself. She had always known Edmund was attractive, dark to Peter's traditional blonde good-looks and as children considered the inferior brother. He was perhaps not conventionally handsome, perhaps he was a trifle too tall, and his aristocratic nose a touch too long, but his dark grace and elegance coupled with a certain self-assurance that comes from knowing how to handle yourself in battle, had insured that he had no shortage of admirers in the castle and beyond. His dark curls forever falling in the way of his eyes and a permanent half-smirk etched on his lips certainly didn't detract his appeal either mused Lucy.

"Edmund?" she began hesitantly, hating to disturb him. She watched him freeze with his back to her, straighten and lower his arms.

"Please talk to me" she said, stepping towards him. She watched in fascination as a drop of sweat leisurely made its way down his back, like a tear running down a cheek, and without thinking she reached forward a finger and touched it.

He started immediately at the feel of her and swung around. Wearing a simple cotton blue dress, tied loosely at her waist, her golden hair unbound on her shoulders, she looked like a country maiden in a fairy tale. Except she wasn't, she was a Queen and his sister, and not for him, he reminded himself.

"What do you want?" he said brusquely, reaching for his towel, mopped his face and body and draped it over his shoulders.

"I want for you to be happy" she answered honestly, he scoffed at her and turned away. "I know my duty Edmund, and I ask for your blessing"

"You will not have it" he replied his back still turned to her

"I am not a child anymore, and I know what must be done for Narnia and for us. I am happy to do this, Corin is my friend and nothing will change"

He did not reply but continued wiping his hair and body, shrugging back on his white shirt.

"Please Edmund, tell me why you are so upset" when he refused to answer, she grabbed his arms and shook him "please" her voice near to breaking.

Turning so swiftly it took her breath away he pushed her against the wall "leave me alone"

"Edmund you're hurting me" Lucy was crying, he was glaring down at her, and then so fast that later Lucy could not be entirely sure it had actually happened, he bent down and kissed her quickly on the lips and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Several days passed in which none of the Pevensies really spoke to each-other. Peter was busy with the business of running the kingdom. Susan, feeling hugely guilty, was consulting with dress-makers and decorators on readying Cair Paravel for the wedding celebration. Lucy was trying to get on with things as best as she could, assisting Susan when she needed it, but mostly spending time out doors with her friends, practising archery, and enjoying being in Narnia. Edmund was absent, he had taken himself hunting, so he had said, in the Forest, tracking down a black bear – a lost Talking Animal who had taken the lives of several of the wood folk.

Corin and his father King Lune had been invited to Narnia at their earliest convenience to discuss the terms of the marriage contract and set the date. Also unspoken was the looming threat of Prince Rabadash and the armies to the south of their borders, but Lucy could see the worry in Peter's eyes as he held meeting after meeting, the fear in Susan's trembling fingers as she stitched together robes for the ceremony. And Lucy knew that nothing, _nothing_ could delay this wedding contract and that for all their sakes and for Narnia, the wedding must take place as soon as possible.

Lucy sat in her usual spot, drawing by a marble column, heard the trumpets announce the visitors from Archenland, and saw not a moment later Edmund exit the Forest. He too had evidently heard the announcement, for he had stopped and turned towards the noise, she saw his fists clench, but he was too far away for her to make out a clear expression on his face. She watched him throw down the bow and arrows he had been carrying on his shoulder and sweep a hand through his hair, turning again he faced the palace and began the slow walk towards where she sat.

"Mistress" said Alaina quietly at Lucy's shoulder startling her.

"Yes?" said Lucy looking up at her maid

"We must dress you now to meet King Lune and his son".

Lucy gazed down at her old green dress which she wore to draw in, patched and covered in flecks of paint, she supposed Alaina was right, but she desperately wanted to see Edmund before the meeting.

"One moment" holding up a white hand to stall her maid. "Edmund!" she called, when her brother made to walk up the steps into another doorway a few feet away from her.

He paused but did not turn.

Sighing, Lucy walked towards him and hugged him, as he angled his head slightly away from her, holding himself stiffly.

Lucy pretended not to notice.

"Did you find him?" she asked, not letting go, and looking up into his face.

"Yes" said Edmund, and then looking down at his sister as she waited expectantly "he refused to remember, we fought….I….I'm afraid I had to kill him".

He heard Lucy's quick intake of breath, saw the shine of tears in her blue eyes, but she did not let go and hugged him tighter "I know you did what was right" she said softly.

"Do not forgive me, I do not forgive myself" he responded abruptly, and tried to push her away.

"No Edmund, I won't let you punish yourself" she cried clinging to him.

He tried to detach her, but she refused to let go, and in the end he submitted to her embrace, as she rested her lovely head against his chest and he felt her hot tears through his shirt. He knew that she cried not only for the bear, but also for him and what he had to do. She was such a _good_ person he thought, so pure, her heart so loving, that it disgusted him afresh the thoughts he had had towards her. What he wanted from her, and what he wanted to do to her.

Stepping back again, he managed to set her from him gently.

"The Archenlanders are here, you must dress" he said nodding towards Alaina who was waiting, and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

Nodding she gave him a small smile and departed with her maid.

Edmund exhaled, rubbing his face he felt the stubble of several days growth on his cheeks. He considered going to greet Lune and Corin with their Court as he was, he cared not for their good opinion, but he did care for Peter's, and he knew what this marriage meant and why it had to happen. The days of isolation in the Forest had calmed down enough to accept the truth, but he did not have to like it.

He strode quickly to his chambers to prepare, shutting his mind to the evening ahead, thinking only of Lucy, and how she had looked watching him sat by the white marble column in her old green dress.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Throne Room was filled with the sound of laughter, as old friends greeted each-other. Narnians clasped forearms with Archenland comrades, and the sweet notes of a harp plucked by a seated Dryad lingered in the air.

Peter, Susan and Lucy had stood from their thrones to greet King Lune, Prince Corin and their courtiers as they entered the room, but Edmund had remained seated, one leg casually resting on his knee as he lounged back in his seat, regarding the Archenlanders through steepled fingers.

Reaching Peter first, Lune, a bluff hearty man with a red beard and a booming voice had seized the King and embraced him before hitting him on the back with a vigorous enthusiasm.

"Peter, it does me well to see you! And you Susan and Lucy" Lune cried before turning to pull forward his son.

Corin grinned at them all, before catching Lucy's eye, blushing and gazing down at his feet.

"Ahhh, my boy is shy" laughed Lune grabbing his son around the neck and rubbing his head with his knuckles. Looking up he winked jovially at Lucy exclaiming "and who would not be in the face of such beauty, eh? You'll make knaves of us all young Lucy"

Lucy felt her smile strain, and turning saw Susan's polite grimace and Peter's smirk of amusement. She could feel the presence of Edmund seated behind them, watchful and silent.

"You are most welcome" began Susan graciously, holding out an elegant hand she drew Lune's arm through her own as they stepped through the bowed courtiers towards the more intimate antechamber adjoining the Throne Room.

Springing out of his throne, Edmund took Lucy's arm before Corin could offer and followed Susan through the crowd. He heard Peter sigh behind him as he invited Corin to accompany them into the smaller room.

Ignoring them all, Edmund glanced down at his younger sister. Dressed as she was in her court finery; the heavy damask robes hiding her slender figure, her blonde hair bound up in an intricate bun, she appeared outwardly calm and collected, only the tremble in her fingers clasped on his arm and her pale cheeks betrayed her. He rested his hand over hers and gave it a quick squeeze, looking up she smiled gratefully at him, and his heart clenched.

"Welcome friends" began Peter, as the doors closed behind them shutting out the noise of the Throne Room. He gestured to a set of easy chairs before a fire, already roaring away and picking up a flagon of wine offered glasses to Lune and Corin.

The others seated themselves, Edmund automatically sat down next to Lucy and Susan took the place on her other side. Corin hesitantly hovered behind a chair, stealing glances at Lucy, a blush still lingering on his tanned cheeks.

"How was your journey?" Susan addressed Corin kindly, and gestured to the chair next to her, as the young man eventually seated himself.

Lucy watched as he stumbled out a reply contrasting his apparent nervousness with his easy manner over the summer months. The two of them had fished and hunted together, he had joined her on archery training, his eagerness to please and ready laugh had endeared him to her then, and by the time he had left Narnia – a month or so before Edmund's return, she had considered him a dear friend.

How did she feel about him now? What were his true intentions during his visit? Was this what his father had secretly planned all along? Was Corin's friendship a lie? Could she like him? Love him? What price for happiness versus duty to her kingdom?

Lost in a sea of emotions Lucy paid no attention to the conversation until called upon by Peter to speak.

"Lu?" Lucy looked up bewildered.

"Sorry Peter?"

"Corin asked how your archery training is progressing?"

Lucy turned to face the young prince, who, for the first time, was looking at her properly with something like his old friendly smile.

Smiling back Lucy replied "it's continuing well thank you. I have also been training in the art of Kendo with Master Oreius, as well as sword-fighting since you left"

"Why?" blustered Lune "surely a young Queen has no need to learn such violent practices, with her brothers, and betrothed to protect her!" Turning to Susan he enquired "do you train in such military practices fair Queen?"

Lucy flushed red with anger but before she could retort, Susan placed a restraining hand upon hers and spoke courteously but firmly to Lune "I do not King Lune, but these are dangerous times we live in. It is the duty of all Narnians to ready themselves for whatever danger may lie ahead. I train in a different sort of military art, you might call it diplomacy" and here, Susan allowed herself a small smile "but it is not for fun that we engage with these practices", she paused, and solemnly, sadly stated "war, I am very much afraid, is coming".

A silence fell on the group after that, Lucy snuck a look at Edmund, who uncharacteristically silent for the whole exchange, was gazing into the fire and appeared to have effectively disengaged himself from the conversation.

"My sister is right" Peter said looking at Lune and Corin "and though we meet now for joyous reasons" Lucy and Corin both flushed at this "we must also discuss the threat from the south".

"Enough for tonight" Susan murmured gently and with a significant glance at Peter and Lune rose from her chair "let us give the couple some privacy. Please introduce me to your courtiers King Lune, I am eager to hear about the latest fashions in Archenland".

Peter nodded at his sister's wisdom, and following Lune and Susan made to leave the antechamber. Spotting Edmund had not moved from his seat, he shook his brother's shoulders, and half pulled him out of the room with him.

Lucy had determined she would not speak first, she had still not sorted out her feelings regarding Corin, but looking at him, twisting his fingers and awkwardly staring into the fire, she felt a sort of pity, and remembering their long days of easy friendship she stood up and moved to sit next to him.

"Friends?" she began, holding out a hand to shake his.

He looked at her then, his green eyes startled, and then glancing down at her proffered hand, he smiled, leant forward and shook it.

"Friends" he agreed.

Lucy tried to pull back her hand after that, but he clung on, and looking deep into her eyes, he grinned at her and then winked, and then all of a sudden, there he was. The mischief-maker and partner-in-crime from summer, and Lucy knew then that things would be fine.

They talked after that, of nothing important, catching up on news from the past few weeks, avoiding the issue of the engagement, but just chatting as two young people, who really did enjoy each-other's company, with frequent bursts of teasing and laughter.

Lucy thought to herself later, staring up at her ceiling in bed, that though she might not love him, and she was convinced he did not love her; they would be friends, maybe even best friends. Because, and really as far as she was concerned, this was the only thing that mattered, he was a _good_ person.

In another part of the castle Corin was also in bed, not alone however, and not currently thinking of his betrothed, as he bent forward to kiss his companion.

Edmund was not in bed. The roaring in his ears that had started as soon as Lucy and Corin were in the same room together, had risen to a tumultuous scream of noise when forced to leave the two in the antechamber, and had sent him hurrying to the Games room. Over and over he punched the leather bag. His knuckles bled, and sweat poured down his back, soaking his leggings and dripping onto the stone floor, causing him to slip.

He did not stop. He hit until he could think no more, until he was collapsed, lying and shivering on the floor.

 **A/N: Hope you're enjoying this so far, I am still not sure about it, but we'll see how. Any advice/pointers, gratefully received.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's M for a reason people!**

 **Chapter 5**

Groaning awake, Edmund stretched stiff aching muscles from his self-imposed night sleeping on the floor of the Games Room. Dawn was just breaking, the crisp morning light shining through the windows as he limped up to his bed-chamber. Not wanting to disturb his man servant, Edmund washed himself quickly with the bowl of cold water left out from yesterday on the stone table of his dresser. The dark-haired man facing him in the mirror looked haggard, his finely drawn features drawn in misery. Turning away in disgust Edmund dressed in his tunic and leggings and left the Castle for his morning run.

As he pounded along the sandy lane away from the Castle, he pondered this _obsession_ he had with her, trying to remember how it had begun. It had been growing for so long, that if had to put a date to it, he could not. Months perhaps? Years? Perhaps even as far back as their childhood when she had saved him from Jadis?

Theirs had always been a complicated relationship.

He only knew that when he saw her now, his stomach flipped, his muscles clenched with his desire to seize and hold her. That every smile she gave to him was a gift he treasured and carefully stored away to be remembered later.

In his baser moments at night alone, he would touch himself imagining her there with him, kissing him tenderly, him cupping her breasts, pulling her towards him, on top of him. Afterwards he was always filled with shame and self-loathing, but yet he could not stop his thoughts from going to her again and again.

He had come across her once by accident, bathing in the pool in the Forest. Some of her friends the dryads and maenads were with her, laughing and splashing in the water, unmindful of their nakedness, they lounged together in the pool and on the bank. Even amongst all of their fabled beauty, he only had eyes for his younger sister. Sat on the grass next to the water, legs curled underneath her, she was singing and combing her hair, looking very like a mermaid with a wreath of white lilies around her neck, draped onto small breasts. Her body lithe and graceful, her flat stomach tapering down to rounded hips, the golden curls of her pubis rose just above her crossed legs. And as for her breasts, Edmund had felt his breath hitching as he gazed upon the rosy peaks, shyly peeking out from between the lily petals. He was not sure how long he had stood there watching her, but the call of a hunting eagle overhead had suddenly recalled him with a swift shame as to who he was, and what he was doing. Shaking his head in disgust he walked swiftly away from the pool, and soon after that had left on a tour of the borders.

He had tried to distract himself with other women over the years and in his darker moments with yellow-haired beauties, but it was no use. They might as well have been statues for all Edmund had any interest in them.

Much to his horror, this had established him a reputation as a womaniser in his own kingdom and to the south of Narnia's borders, in the Calormene Empire, he knew they whispered he was dissolute, a libertine of the worst sort, a reflection of the morals of the corrupt Narnian court. It was this as well as his growing obsession that had caused him to leave Narnia for the past few months. Even though Peter and Susan could forgive him the rumours (as far as he knew Lucy remained ignorant), he could not. He was not blind; he knew the threat to Narnia was growing and if he was part of the cause, he must now find the solution.

Finishing his run around the flat-lands, Edmund made his way back in the Castle and prepared himself for the days of feasting and negotiating ahead. He knew Peter would want his counsel when drawing up plans with Lune, and discussing the future of their kingdoms.

The run as always had calmed his mind, and feeling better than he had in days Edmund jogged up the stairs towards his room.

Passing Corin's room he almost collided with the young laughing woman backing out of it.

"Forgive me my Lord" she cried flushing, as Edmund swung himself away abruptly to keep from hitting her.

Curtseying quickly, she smoothed down dishevelled hair hurrying away from him down the corridor as Edmund watched in disbelief.

She was with the Archenland party, but he knew no more than that. Suddenly a hot burst of rage shot through him as he stared at his future brother-in-law's door, and without stopping to think he kicked it open and entered.

 **A/N: Should have been writing a terrifying campaign plan, but turns out writing this is so much more fun, who knew(?!) Thanks to those lovely souls following this story nice to know I'm not just writing into a void**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **A/N: To quickly note in this universe, The Horse and his Boy never happened – which is a shame as it's actually my favourite book in the series. But for the purposes of dramatic license it had to go; also Corin is a year older than Lucy but a year younger than Edmund. As always these characters belong to Lewis, but their dark personalities, I'm afraid belong entirely to me.**

 **Hope that clears that up, and now on with the story…**

 **'** **There's something inside you  
It's hard to explain  
They're talking about you boy  
But you're still the same'**

 **Nightcall, Kavinsky**

"Shit" Corin scrambled to cover himself throwing a blanket over his naked body like a virginal maiden, Edmund noted in disgust.

"What do you think you're doing?" Edmund said quietly.

"Close the door!" Corin hissed waving at the hallway and the smirking servants hurrying past with averted eyes.

Edmund ignored him and walked over to the bed, reaching out he grabbed a handful of Corin's sandy hair and dragged him out of the bed onto the floor. Pulling his head up roughly, he bent down next to his ear "I said, what do you think you're doing?"

"Ow shit, get off me. What are YOU doing?" Corin was struggling to get away, he tried to kick out, but Edmund stepped out of his reach. "You psycho, get off me". This close to Edmund, Corin could smell the scent of sweat coming from him an earthly mix of musk and spiced citrus, a souvenir of Edmund's run.

Edmund with his head still bent, whispered into Corin's ear "I can show you psychotic if that's what you want, now shut up and listen to me" The younger boy stopped moving "I don't care who you fucked or what your life was like before you got here, but that's over now. You are marrying my sister and you will be the perfect husband. And if I even hear a whisper of you behaving as anything other than that, or if you cause my sister in anyway to be unhappy, I will find you, and I will kill you. Are we understood?"

Corin said nothing, but stared into Edmund's furious eyes. He would not have believed that this man he had spent years training with as a boy, had marched and fought alongside with, would if it came to it, kill him.

Edmund took Corin's silence as acquiescence and released him dusting off his hands. "Good", he said and turning on his heel made to leave the room.

"Wait" Corin called, Edmund turned pausing.

"What?"

"I know about you too _Edmund the Just_. Pretend all you like that you have the moral high ground here. But I know who you are and what you've done". Edmund leant against the doorframe and raised a sardonic eyebrow in response.

"I know about your women Edmund, don't deny it".

"I don't deny it".

"I know about the tailor's daughter last year, the one who tried to kill herself. And how that affair was hushed up".

Edmund snorted. "Lies, anything else?"

"I know whose picture you would kiss before we went into battle…" Edmund said nothing but looked at him. "You think I didn't see, those nights we camped in the Forest, waiting for the fighting to start... I know who is in the painting in that locket. And it strikes me as funny that a brother would care so much about his sister that he would need to look at her so very often…"

Corin suddenly began to panic at Edmund's stillness, observing how his snake-like gaze never wavered from his face, as if he were about to strike.

"Look", he began. "All I am saying is don't be a hypocrite. I like women, and you like women. So you're a close family, so what? But I will never hurt her, you must know that. I just need a bit of variety some…" But he didn't get any further as Edmund had walked across the room and in a swift movement grabbed his head kneecapping him in the face.

"Fuck!" Corin rolled on the floor cupping his bleeding nose "you've broken it, fuck"

Edmund turned round and walked out of the room. He stopped a servant walking past "please ask Doctor Richmond to see to Prince Corin I believe he's had an accident". And with that, he continued on his journey towards his room flexing his fists as he sought to keep his temper under control.

* * *

Corin did not join the rest of the Archenland party for breakfast that morning, and King Lune found himself negotiating contracts discussing tactics with Peter and Edmund without his son. The overall terms were quickly agreed upon, but neither Edmund nor Lune would budge on the issue of Rabadash. Lune was all for marching their armies across the Great Waste to meet Rabadash and the Tisroc in battle. Edmund had openly derided that as a foolish plan, citing their lower numbers – even with the Narnian and Archenland armies combined. Their countries, unlike Calormen, did not use conscription to force men over the age of 18 to join the army, not to mention the foolhardiness of attempting to wage war in a desert where Rabadash who knew the terrain well, would undoubtedly have the advantage.

Peter said nothing as the two men argued it out. Watching Lune's increasing frustration, his face slowly turning as red as his beard as he shouted at Edmund, his brother on the other hand growing more and more sardonic as he countered every point of Lune's with barely-hidden contempt.

All were agreed that something must be done, spies had recently been captured in both courts, and Rabadash had sent a list of demands to Peter last month which as well as commanding Narnia (and by extension Archenland) to subjugate herself to Calormen, had ordered that Susan be sent to Tashbaan as a gesture of goodwill, as an "Ambassador". Neither Peter, Edmund or even Susan had been under any illusions as to what Rabadash really wanted, and though it seemed incredible that he would start a war to have her, it seemed very likely that it might be the end result. Peter was aware that Rabadash's father the Tisroc, on the other hand saw the neighbouring countries of Narnia and Archenland as perpetual thorns in his side, and was willing to use the passion and ambition of his son to put an end to their implied threat once and for all.

Peter remembered the look of terror on Susan's lovely face when they had together read the demands from Rabadash's messenger. Tall and dark-haired like Edmund, her pale skin had turned even whiter as she understood what the underlying message to be. He had held her then, stroked her hair and promised her that he would protect her, and he intended to keep that promise.

"Enough", raising a weary hand he stopped Lune in the middle of his rant as he strode about the room. "Edmund, what do you propose?"

"A small elite group to infiltrate the Tisroc's palace, we take out the threat of Rabadash and the Tisroc if we can. With both of them gone, the rule of Calormen falls to Rabadash's younger brother Arjun. You and I have both met him Pete, he is a decent man, he wants the best for his country and he hates his brother…"

"And I suppose, he will simply forgive the murder of his brother and father?" scoffed Lune

"We cannot be sure, but I believe so" replied Edmund "He privately believes his father's rule is wrong, he actively dislikes his brother…it is a gamble, but a chance I am willing to take. This way we avoid the horror of war, the hundreds of thousands of lives needlessly lost. We take out the threat now, at the root".

"Do you not think Calormen will see this as an act of war, Ed?" said Peter, his face troubled "you cannot think that the Calormenese court will accept the murder of their ruler?"

Edmund lifted a shoulder shrugging "what choice do we have Pete? This saves lives if it works"

Peter sighed and was silent for a while, rubbing a hand through his dark blonde hair "then I agree" he said tiredly. "Lune?"

The older man had by now sat down now at the table, joining the brothers "let it be done then", he said waving a hand in agreement.

"I will lead the band" began Edmund.

"You will not" interrupted Peter hotly.

"Yes, my King, I will. For Narnia, for all of us. You know you cannot" he said as Peter began to protest.

"Take Corin, he's a good soldier" Lune interjected, as Edmund turned slowly taking his eyes from his brother.

"No" he said.

"Yes" said Peter decisively "you two have trained together, and if you must do this Ed, I want someone whom we can trust at your side. You take him, or you do not go at all".

Edmund looked between the men, at Lune, resigned now, his heavy-set features troubled as he gazed past Edmund, seemingly contemplating the turmoil ahead. And at Peter, the years of responsibility apparently weighing heavily upon his shoulders, as new worry lines had formed around his blue eyes, eyes so like Lucy's. At the thought of her, and leaving her again, Edmund felt the wrench of it in his stomach, but he had to do this to protect her, for she was Narnia.

He nodded his acceptance once at both men, and like that, the fates of Edmund, of Corin, of Archenland and of Narnia, were sealed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A/N: Speedy update this time. The muse strikes when she strikes…**

The days passed quickly one after another, as Edmund, Peter, Lune and a sullen bandaged Corin, continued to shut themselves away in Peter's rooms, strategising and finessing plans.

Susan and Lucy excluded from the war council were given the task of entertaining the rest of the Archenland guests; which Susan, apparently lacking any curiosity as to what was happening in Peter's study, took to with aplomb.

Lucy though was alternately frustrated and furious. Always babied as the youngest, her siblings continued determination to keep her in the dark, had guided their over-protective actions her entire life. But Lucy was not ignorant and she overheard the whispers at court, she saw the sombre looks exchanged between Susan and her brothers and she knew something bad was coming to Narnia.

Stopping Susan one morning from just outside the hall to where their guests waited Lucy demanded that she tell her what was happening.

"Lucy, everything is fine" sighed Susan irritably. "Now please stop fretting, we have a lot to do today".

"No, you're lying to me, you all are. _Something_ is happening right now and I want to know what it is. I can help" demanded Lucy refusing to budge from in front of the door.

Susan gave a little patronising laugh, and shook back her long black hair, her lovely sparkling blue eyes twinkling in seeming amusement at her younger sister " _dear_ Lucy, what a suspicious little creature you are. Now stop being so silly. Why you know your brothers are planning your marriage to Corin or had you forgotten dear?"

Lucy blushed at the thought of her wedding. Truth be told as she had hardly seen Corin the last few days and thoughts of secret councils had been occupying her instead, she had all but forgotten the reason for the Archenland visit.

"Now come along dear, I'll need your help with Thelonious, he's such a bore" confided Susan threading her arm through Lucy's and nodding to a servant to open the doors.

Angry and embarrassed Lucy allowed herself to be placated by Susan but vowed that she would not let the matter rest.

Automatically dismissing Peter as a source of information; he tended to think of his youngest sister as a cross between a troublesome toddler and a precious ornament to be guarded, she ordinarily would have asked Edmund. Though her brother's moods could be unpredictable and occasionally cold towards herself she knew Edmund would always tell her the truth.

However, Lucy thought smiling to herself, as Susan had so astutely reminded her, she was now engaged, and as it so happened her former childish playmate was even worse than her at keeping a secret…

* * *

That evening Lucy waited in her chambers until the sounds of the Castle began to die down as their guests went to bed. Slipping quietly down silent corridors she made her way to Corin's room and paused outside. For a moment she considered turning back, it would be her first time alone in a man's room who was not a member of her immediate family.

Giving herself a mental shake for being so cowardly, Lucy took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"What?" she heard Corin's voice snapping inside, half irritated, half fearful.

Lucy pushed the door open and beheld Corin sat by his window anxiously smoking a long cigarette.

"Lucy?" he half-rose, flinging the cigarette out the window. "What are you doing? You can't be here".

She swiftly closed the door behind her. Ignoring his panicked expression, she hurried over to him "I don't care about that. I want to know what is happening. Why you, my brothers and your father are closing yourselves away every day".

Corin turned away from her rubbing his hands through his sandy hair "seriously, you need to leave right now. If he should catch you here…"

Lucy shook her head impatiently "Who? It doesn't matter. You are my friend; they are my brothers – I need to know what's happening. Is it…" she paused "Rabadash?"

He started at the name and tried to push her away as she clutched his arm. "I'm right, aren't I? Tell me!"

"You don't understand" he groaned, collapsing onto the window-sill his head in his hands.

"Then help me to, please Corin". She knelt by him resting her arms on his knees. He looked into her eyes, his own as dark as pine needles, the bandage on his nose incongruous with the misery etched on his face. Lucy laid a tender hand against his cheek, "please, I want to help".

"War is coming Lucy, unlike anything we've seen before" Corin whispered "and we must all play our part".

The silence filled the air as Lucy stared uncomprehendingly up at him. He looked utterly wretched.

"I don't….I don't understand" Lucy began.

"We are taking a proactive approach" Corin said with a twisted smirk. "Your brother wants to lead a secret operation into the heart of Calormen. Kill Rabadash before his armies come for us".

"Edmund" Lucy said. It was not a question.

Corin nodded bleakly "it is suicide. But it is my duty as my father's son. We leave in 3 days". Looking down at her again he caressed her hair "there will be no wedding Lucy, I am sorry. Peter does not want to leave you…a widow, should I not survive the mission".

Lucy caught his hand in her hair, brought it to her lips and kissed it "thank you Corin" was all she said, rising to her feet.

Corin stood then and held her about the waist as he bent down to kiss her. His lips were warm and Lucy could feel his tenderness, but it left her sadly unmoved even when she felt the tears mingle on his cheeks and tasted the salt on his kiss.

Leaning away she broke apart from him, kissed his cheek, smiled and walked to the door. She turned to see him standing like a little lost boy in the centre of the room, one arm stretched towards her. "Good night" she said, and opening his door she stepped out.

Closing it behind her she was suddenly seized from behind.

"Lucy?" it was Edmund.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real life eh? What a drag.**

 **So there is some minor smut ahead, if that's not your bag, please feel free to avoid.**

 **Recap: Edmund has exiled himself from Narnia for months determined to forgot his obsession with Lucy. On returning he discovers to his horror she is to be wed to Corin son of King Lune from Archenland to strengthen ties between the two countries.**

 **Rabadash of Calormen has issued an ultimatum to Peter; Narnia and Archenland must submit to the rule of Calormen or face war. Edmund proposes leading a secret group into Calormen to kill Rabadash and his father before Rabadash can attack them. Lucy suspecting something is happening forces Corin to tell her the truth, Edmund catches her coming out of his room.**

 **And we're away…**

* * *

 **"** **Knowledge is not for knowing: knowledge is for cutting."** **  
** **Michel Foucault**

She felt rather than saw him, his hands gripping her arms like iron bands. He pushed her forward and began marching her rapidly along the corridor saying nothing. Lucy felt her breath coming in short gasps, _she had done nothing wrong_ , she reminded herself but still felt apprehension grip her belly. When she tripped, he yanked her upright without pausing, stopping only when they came to a door. Unlocking it, he pushed her inside the room, hard. Lucy stumbled almost falling against the bed, barely aware that he had closed and locked the door behind him. Standing slowly upright she took in Edmund's dangerous expression. He was leant against the door, arms folded, the angry tick in his cheek belying his casual stance. Lucy looked quickly away around the large room becoming suddenly aware that she was in Edmund's bedroom, a place she had not seen for years. Notoriously private, Edmund let only his man-servant into his quarters, preferring to clean it himself rather than allow anyone access.

The room was sparse, an ebony desk faced against the window with a single chair in front of it. A mirror on a plain marble washstand stood to Edmund's left, and on the small wooden table next to his neatly made bed, sat a small red book; _Discipline and Punish_ by Michel Foucault. Lucy picked it up flicking open pages reading:

 **"He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and who knows it, assumes responsibility for the constraints of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon himself; he inscribes in himself the power relation in which he simultaneously plays both roles; he becomes the principle of his own subjection"**

It made her head hurt trying to understand it, the thought almost there danced away again. The book was swiftly plucked from her hands and deposited on the table and she was spun round to face her brother. His furious expression had melted away leaving behind a look of intense concentration, reminding her of their days in the school-room when Edmund bent over his desk, looked as if he might glare a hole through his page trying to solve a particularly tricky mathematical equation. The odd thought brought a wry smile to her face, which seemingly in response smoothed Edmund's brow as he brought up a gentle hand to cup her face.

"Dear one", he said calmly, his thumb stroking her cheek. "What were you doing in his room?"

"I…" Lucy began hesitantly, but seeing no anger on Edmund's face continued "I wanted to know what you were planning, all of you. I asked Corin". At the sound of his name, Edmund's hand momentarily tightened and then relaxed, dropping down to his side as Lucy stepped away moving back into the centre of the room. "And anyway, you know I have done nothing wrong by visiting him; he is my fiancé"

Edmund looked up sharply at her words, his expression livid. Lucy felt herself take a step back at his sudden anger, holding up a hand as if to ward him away as he stepped abruptly towards her. Stopping him just as he reached her, she continued "How could you not tell me about the mission? My own brothers? Corin called it suicide"

Neither said anything but looked at the other. Lucy to her eternal shame felt tears begin to swim in her eyes, her body shuddering with the effort of containing her unhappiness. Without taking his eyes from her, he pulled her forwards into his arms, his hand gentle against her hair as he cradled her against his chest. If he felt her tears soak his shirt, he said nothing but continued to slowly stroke her back murmuring soft words of reassurance to her. He bent down and softly kissed her forehead, and nose, her eyelids and cheeks, and then ever-so-gently, her mouth. The hand still in her hair tilted her head slightly to better receive his kiss, as the arm around her waist pulled her closer to him.

His mouth so soft upon hers barely moved as he leant forward to kiss her again, capturing the small sigh from her mouth as she pushed up into him. Every nerve-ending tingled and Lucy felt a flush growing on her cheeks and chest as her nipples against his chest began to tighten. Whereas Corin's kiss had made her feel empty, this made her feel so alive and she wanted more of it. She moved her mouth against his, pressing herself closer as she felt his hand reach down and shockingly caress her bottom before pulling her up against him. Lucy gasped at the sensation, her soft yielding curves against hard muscle.

"Lucy" he ground out, moving his hips against hers. At the sound of his voice the lust-filled fog broke and she pushed herself away staring wide-eyed at him.

"What have we done?" she whispered shaking her head, arms around herself.

"Lucy…" he sounded as if in agony, his face twisted as he tried to reach for her.

"No!" she cried running to the door trying to open it, only to remember too late that he had locked it. She pressed herself back against the heavy wood her breath hitching as he walked towards her. His expression was bleak as he kept his face carefully averted. Lucy felt her breathing speed up as he moved his arm towards her, and then past her as he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"I am so sorry" he said, face turned away as she stumbled from his room. Ignoring him Lucy ran back along the corridor past Corin's room retracing her earlier steps.

 _You knew this is how he felt about you, don't pretend otherwise_ her mind mocked her, as the blood thundered in her ears. Reaching her own room, she flung herself on the bed and wrapped a pillow around her head trying to shut out the voices.

Edmund had not moved from the doorway. Staring out into the darkness of the corridor, his eyes reflected the dancing light of the candles as he strained to see her. Tomorrow he would hate himself for this he knew, but tonight he would only remember what it was like to have finally held her in his arms.

* * *

 **A/N: The Foucault quote is from Discipline and Punish (a good but difficult read, I recommend).**

 **Someone commented that the Peter from the Narnia books would never have forced Lucy into marriage – and while yes that is absolutely true, I'd also argue that the Edmund from the Narnia books would not have fallen in love with his sister. Both of these plot-devices / personality types are entirely mine. I'm simply borrowing the characters for a bit.**

 **If this is a trope that is frequent on Narnia ff then please forgive me for also using it, I have to be honest I haven't read a lot of other Narnian ff on here, for the simple reason it's hard enough to write as it is, without comparing myself to other superior writers. Happy to discuss this further if anyone wants to, please feel free to get in touch.**

* * *

 **Upcoming extract just for fun:**

 _She knew before he let himself in her room that he was coming. The look he had given her earlier that evening was a promise. She could have called Alaina to stay with her. She could have slept in Susan's room. Instead Lucy put on her night-dress, sat on her bed and waited for him._

 _It was, as she thought to herself, inevitable. As soon as he had revealed the truth to her, she realised he was right, she had always known it really - how he had felt. It was her feelings of confusion that she must now sort. How did she feel about him? She did not know._

 _The door opened and closed behind him softly. He made no move towards her, but only looked at her as she sat on the bed. He leant against the door and smiled at her._

 _"_ _Edmund" she said slowly. She did not smile, but lay down on the bed above the covers and waited._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **A/N: Thank you for the kind words, you don't know how much they mean to me.**

 **More smut (yay).**

* * *

 **"** **Once I was lost**

 **to the point of disgust**

 **I had in my sight**

 **lack of vision**

 **lack of light**

 **I fell hard**

 **I fell fast**

 **mercy me**

 **it'll never last"**

 **Low, Point of Disgust**

* * *

He had come, his body pressing hers down into the soft mattress, his arms resting either side of her head as he bent down to kiss her awake. His eyes as dark as the sea at night focusing on her with that same unreadable intensity as before, like she was a problem he was trying to solve. She realised now he had looked at her like this for years.

"Lucy…" he breathed, leaning down to capture her lips with his.

His hand came up to sweep the hair off her forehead, as he trailed kisses down her face and neck. Lucy's breath hitched in response, she felt her nipples tightening against his hard chest, the centre of her beginning to throb. His hands were pushing her nightdress slowly up her thighs, soon she would be exposed to him. The anticipation was making her breathless, every cell in her skin seemed to be attuned to him, alive and throbbing. She needed this, she needed…

"My lady?"

A hand shook her shoulder.

Lucy opened her eyes to behold Alaina's face smiling down at her.

It was a dream. She mentally shook herself. It was a nightmare.

* * *

He was not at breakfast. Lucy horribly aware of Peter, Susan and their Archenland guests laughing and talking around her, felt sick to her stomach. Glancing up anxiously at each new person to enter the room, the mingled relief and, strangely, the disappointment she felt when seeing it was not Edmund took away her appetite entirely.

"Lucy?"

Corin placed a warm hand over her cold one. The friendly smile upon his face recalled her to the events of last night _before_ Edmund, when she had visited his room, and let him kiss her.

"I thought we might take a walk after breakfast?"

Her mouth too dry to reply she simply nodded, as he gave her hand a quick squeeze and returned to his food. Across the table she saw Susan smirk at her knowingly, her perfect red lips pursed in amusement over her coffee. _It's not what you think_ , Lucy wanted to scream at her and unable to bear the farce of the meal a moment longer, she left the room.

She found herself walking automatically in the direction of Edmund's room, her hand trailing the cold walls as if the feel of the stone beneath her finger tips could keep her grounded, remind her of what she must say, how she must act.

The journey over far too soon, she stood outside the heavy wooden door to his room. Her palms suddenly became sweaty as nerves overtook her and she felt an urgent need to be sick. _Perhaps she should speak to him later, this was not the time._ Feeling relief at the idea, Lucy turned away to retrace her steps to her own room only to hear the click of Edmund's door behind her.

Half-turning, she saw him. Dressed simply in a white linen shirt and black trousers, his hair was still wet from his wash and the shirt clung to his muscles where his skin was still damp. Catching sight of her, he came to an abrupt halt, his face frozen, his eyes dark upon her face imperceptibly widened.

Lucy, for her part, felt the sickness drain away at the sight of him. _It was Edmund_ , her _brother_ , and the person she trusted most in the world, how could she have thought anything else? No matter what happened here today, nothing was changing that essential fact. She gifted him a small smile and watched as the tension holding his body taut drained away, he took a faltering step towards her as she met him half-way. Reaching forward he eagerly met her hand with his, clasping it tight.

"You forgive me?" he whispered.

"Let us forget it Edmund. We were tired, it was…a mistake, nothing to be upset over. We must not think of it". Her voice was overly bright and her smile wide. She needed him to agree, if they were to move past this.

She felt his hand tighten on hers, but he said nothing. The intense gaze back on his face as he stared down at her. This time she could feel it though on her skin, like he was branding her, as he looked down at her lips and body. Shivering she made to move away from him, but he would not let go of her hand.

"I can't forget", he said. At the same time, she was shaking her head, like a rider just before they are about to be thrown from their horse, she could see the collision in front of her, about to hit her. _No no no_.

"Edmund…"

"I'm in love with you".

And there it was. She closed her eyes in agony.

"I have always loved you".

"Stop it" she whispered.

"I cannot. I am sorry Lucy, truly".

She opened her eyes. He looked utterly miserable, and to her horror, as if he were about to cry.

"Lucy, there you are! I have been looking all over the Castle for you". It was Corin, eager and oblivious. Bounding up to them, he took Lucy's free hand and drew it under his arm.

"Shall we go for that walk then?"

Belatedly as he became aware that Lucy and Edmund were holding hands, Edmund dropped her hand as if it burnt him. Corin looked in bemusement between the pair. The scornful mask had dropped back in place and Corin turned away from Edmund's obvious contempt at his presence. The two had not spoken more than necessary since Edmund had broken his nose, and Corin had no wish to remedy the situation now, especially in front of Lucy.

Lucy on the other hand looked devastated, she was incredibly easy to read as Corin had discovered during his holiday in Narnia over the summer, her childlike emotions – anger, joy, jealousy had amused him over those months. When she thought he preferred Susan to her, she had almost slapped him, he remembered in fond reverie. Partly her inability to hide her thoughts, and her eager desire to please him, had made Lucy so appealing to Corin. He had thought she would be easy to control, plus he did, as he had said, genuinely enjoy her company.

Edmund walked away past both of them to the end of the corridor, pausing before turning the corner he called coldly back to Corin "there is a meeting at 11 in Peter's rooms, do not forget".

Corin ignored him and looked down at his fiancé again, the anguish he had glimpsed previously seemed to have dissipated. Her face was still and very white and he was struck anew by her soft beauty. In comparison to Susan's showiness, Lucy's delicate features could often be over-shadowed. But just now, with the sun shining through the windows onto her golden hair, her cornflower blue eyes all the brighter in contrast to her white skin, she looked very lovely indeed.

"I asked Alaina for your cloak" he told her draping it across her shoulders "wouldn't want you to get cold now". He winked, drew her arm through his again and led her outside the Castle.

* * *

The rest of that day passed in a daze for Lucy. If later asked what had occurred in the lead-up to the mission to Calormen Lucy would not have been able to tell you. She walked with Corin, she made appropriate noises when asked questions, she ate, she even danced at the ball that night that Susan had organised in their guest's honour.

Corin danced almost every dance of the evening with her. He seemed to have taken Edmund's words to heart, as a certain female Archenland courtier glared over her fan at the couple. Lucy was aware of none of that. Her body seemed to be attuned only to Edmund, she could sense his presence in a corner of the room, wearing his customary black, a sole mourner in a sea of riotous colour. She saw out of the corner of her eye, one of the Archenland ladies sidle up to him, a dark-haired siren, all curves and promises. Lucy felt a stab of jealousy as she saw the woman put her hand on Edmund's arm, watched her brother lean down to whisper something into her lovely ear.

"Lucy, you look like you could murder someone" Corin was chuckling.

She quickly turned her head in the opposite direction.

"I am just hot from all this dancing" she said irritably, coming to a stop as the music ended giving a perfunctory curtsey to Corin's bow.

"Come, let us take a walk outside", the wine had made Corin bolder than usual and he wrapped a possessive arm around her waist as he guided her through the glass doors of the hall onto the wide balcony.

Lucy took a deep breath as she stepped outside, the cold night air like a kiss upon her warm face and shoulders. Picking up the train of her ridiculous silver dress (Susan had made her wear it to contrast with her golden gown), she moved towards the balcony railing and leant down to look over the shadowed garden, tracing the intricate pathways of the maze and arching her neck in appreciation of the fragrant breeze.

She froze as she felt a kiss on the side of her neck, a hand had come around her pulling her back onto a hard body, the fingers splayed on her stomach. His body ground against hers and she felt his arousal against the small of her back.

"Tell me you want this too…" Corin said, a fumbling hand reaching up to grab her breast.

"Get off! No!" Lucy was struggling, pushing at his arm, reaching back to kick him when she felt him torn away from her. Shocked she looked round, holding together the fabric of her dress from where Corin had ripped it.

Stunned she beheld Susan standing over Corin, one golden slipper at his throat, her dark eyes spitting fire at him. In her golden dress, her beautiful face furious, she looked like an avenging angel.

"When a woman says no, she means no. Especially if that woman is my little sister".

Corin was coughing, straining under the pressure of her foot at his throat".

"Susan!" Peter and Lune were at the door. Lune dragged his son up, helping him to stand.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked angrily.

"Your son is a pervert. You need to discipline him" replied Susan in her most Queen-like voice.

Lucy thought she had never loved her sister more than in that moment.

"Susan…" Peter, the peace-maker stood in-between his sister and Lune who looked ready to lynch her. "This is a misunderstanding, please everyone be calm, we can talk about this in my quarters". He gestured for Lune to precede him, as the King of Archeland helped his winded son walk through the glass doors.

Lucy avoided Corin's frantic gaze.

Susan strode after them, a blazing golden light, oblivious to the stares of the gathered guests.

"Edmund, can you please take Lucy to her room?" asked Peter. Lucy looking up realised Edmund was stood by the door, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

"Please everyone enjoy the party, this won't take a moment". Peter with a frazzled motion gestured the rest of the guests back into the ballroom and made to follow Susan.

Saying nothing, Edmund shrugged out of his black velvet jacket and put it around Lucy covering her torn dress. Gently taking her hand he led her through the ballroom, fighting the urge to hit the whispering courtiers, he noticed Lucy kept her eyes trained on the ground, the hot flush in her cheeks the only indication of her supreme embarrassment.

He kept her hand in his as they walked the entire way to her room. If she noticed his thumb lightly stroking the back of her hand she said nothing, and neither did he.

When they got to the door he opened it for her and guided her in. He would have left then except she looked so broken. Her eyes on his face, she caught the sleeve of his shirt.

"Please Edmund, stay with me".

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry, have to leave it here for now. Tell me what you think – love/hate/indifferent? Keen to have some feedback and pointers always welcome.**

 **Apologies to C S Lewis – let's both pretend this is happening to some other characters somewhere – maybe the dwarves in LOTR? This is totally the kind of stuff they'd get up to.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 _"_ _Please Edmund, stay with me"._

He paused, looked down at her white hand on his arm, and up at her entreating eyes.

"I don't want to be alone".

"Lucy you know I can't". She watched him take a deep breath, his jaw clench as he turned away from her, "not after this morning. You can't ask me to".

"I don't care about that". She knew she was being selfish, but right now what she needed was her brother and protector. "Please", she took his cold unresponsive hand and led him over to the window seat, sitting him down next to her on the rose-coloured cushions and drew his jacket more securely around her shoulders. The room was dark, save for a few flickering candles and the moonlight shimmering through the glass.

Edmund absently traced the path of starlight around his sister's room, remembered that he had not been in it for years. Not because Lucy was fiercely private like him, but because he had forbidden himself access, until tonight. No longer full of toys and childish things, the accoutrements of a young lady; jewellery, lace and fripperies sat side-by-side with Lucy's bow and arrows and a map of Narnia, her books lay open their spines bent beneath clothes carelessly flung on top. Lucy had always been messy - in a perpetual hurry to get s _omewhere_ or do s _omething_ , her room looked as if a small tornado had whipped through it. The thought made Edmund smile to himself. A notorious stickler for neatness and order he absurdly found Lucy's chaos endearing, the yang to his very much yin.

"I just want to talk". His head came up at that as he stared at her. "Not about that" she said hastily catching the look on his face and making a sweeping motion with her hand as if she was pushing away the memories of the morning.

He said nothing, his expression unreadable when Lucy ventured a further peek at his face, sitting as still as any of the marble statues in the palace, the light catching his angular cheekbones.

The silence stretched between them until Lucy thought she might scream. Shaking her head, she remembered Edmund's stillness from when they were children, the other Pevensies would panic if caught in a misdemeanour, frantic denials, tears, and angry finger-pointing only landing them in further trouble. But not Edmund. As silent and watchful as a snake waiting for its prey, he would say nothing, admit nothing, and as often as not be completely absolved of the crime. He always knew how to bide his time, when to pick his moments, until this morning it would seem.

"Do you remember when we were little" Lucy began slowly "and you rescued Mr Bear for me". Edmund said nothing still, but she saw a faint smile trace his lips. "I thought I lost him in the air-raid, dropped him in our garden and we thought the Fray boys from next door took him? I was devastated, I cried for days". Lucy remembered Peter enveloping her in big comforting hugs, Susan offering _any_ of her dolls, if only Lucy would stop crying. Edmund though, had only stood quietly and watched her. He offered no words of comfort, no hugs for his little sister but regarded her silently, a slight frown puckering his forehead.

The next day when Lucy woke she was not alone in her bed, a bedraggled yellow bear stared balefully down at her, perched on top her pillow, one eye missing and a lot grubbier than any toy has a right to be. Lucy thought he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Her mother and father and Peter and Susan were at a loss to explain his sudden reappearance, but Edmund had given her one of his rare smiles, like the sun peeping out from behind a storm cloud, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was responsible for her happiness. Not that he would admit to it of course, that was not his style, but she had always remembered, and in later years when they had fought, and even during the terrible months that led up to the Battle of Beruna and defeat of the White Witch, she remembered.

"How did you do it?" she asked, all of a sudden desperate to know.

Lucy thought at first he might not answer, his eyes were still fixed on the walls on the other side of the room, bent forwards his arms resting on his knees.

"I tricked them" he said quietly. Turning his head, he looked up at her. The moonlight caught and framed her light hair creating a halo around her face, too much to bear he looked quickly away again.

"I snuck into their house at night, they used to always leave the backdoor open for their dad, he worked nights, and I went into their bedroom. The boys used to share you know", Lucy gasped at his casual tone, half appalled half wildly amused at him.

"The bear was on the floor, half under one of their beds. The boys were asleep. Don't worry" Edmund began catching the look of shocked incredulity on Lucy's face "I didn't wake them up. I took the bear and I left them a note. A note from the bear". A dimple appeared in Edmund's left cheek, a slight smile ghosting his lips "The bear told them that he didn't appreciate being stolen, that he was returning to his rightful owners. That he was a magic bear and if he was to hear of any further thefts or violations to the 'code of toys' he would find them, and he would hurt them".

"EDMUND", Lucy was now truly shocked.

He smirked up at her, his cheek resting on his hand, looking for all the world like the mischievous schoolboy who had written the note.

"That's awful! They were just little children"

"So were you" he paused, his face twisting slightly "and I couldn't bear to watch you cry".

Lucy inhaled softly and closed her eyes. Really what was there to be said to that? She felt him lay his hand over hers, the callouses hard on his palm from years of sword-fighting contrasted with the gentleness with which he took her hand, laced his fingers in-between hers.

"I would have killed Corin tonight you know" she heard him say unexpectedly "if it hadn't been for Susan"

Lucy opened her eyes to see Edmund sat up straight now, his face close to hers as his eyes traced the outlines of her face, moving over her mouth, sending jolts of awareness through her body.

"We watched you, she and I as he took you outside. I would have followed then, but she stopped me" he laughed without humour "she said to leave it to her, she would sort it. When I saw him touch you…" Edmund stopped, his hand tightening so hard on Lucy's she felt the bones press together. Trying to pull her hand away from him, he stopped gripping so hard and apologetically raised her hand to his lips to to kiss it before laying it down gently and continuing "I had my knife in my hand, I could see so clearly what I was going to do. Susan knew, she knew I would have killed him for touching you. Betrothal be damned".

He stood up then and began to agitatedly pace her chambers "it kills me Lucy, for another man to take and touch what should be mine".

She had never seen him like this before, his lack of control, the flash of madness upon his face. It terrified her, and hidden away so deep inside that she tried not to acknowledge its presence, his loss of control thrilled her.

Jumping up she tried to halt his walking, putting her hands on his chest, pressing back against him.

"Please" she said "please stop. You cannot say these things".

Edmund stared down at her, his expression thunderous. He caught both her hands against his chest with one of his, pinned them to him. His other he used to put around her waist pulling her hard against him. His black jacket fell from her shoulders onto the floor behind her, the rip in her silver dress had become more pronounced drifting downwards to reveal the swell of a breast, as Lucy's chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath.

"I will make you see" he was saying desperately, urgently to her. Whispering it to her against her cheek and into her mouth. His hand had risen to position her head and neck as he moved his head down slanted his lips against hers, kissing her with the frenzy and urgency of a dying man.

Lucy's cries and denials were muffled, swallowed by his ardour. She was stumbling back, and he was upon her, pushing her up against a wall, she could feel every hard inch of him against her. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, as Lucy instinctively opened her mouth to him, letting out a small involuntary moan as his tongue entered her mouth, caressing her tongue deepening the kiss. It had nothing on the kiss from last night, this kiss promised of things to come, drove her so crazy she couldn't think. She was just nerves responding to it.

Though Lucy was not entirely ignorant of the actions that took place between a man and woman in their marriage bed; Susan had attempted to explain it in halting embarrassed tones to her on the day Lucy first bled, she was still unsure of the exact logistics of it. Still she knew enough to know that she and Edmund were venturing down a dangerous path, a path from which there could be no return.

She pushed her hand against his chest, hard, attempting to stop him, as he bent his head and kissed butterfly kisses along her jaw "No Edmund" she said shakily.

In response his hand wickedly lifted and cupped her breast through the thin silver fabric of her dress, his thumb rubbing lightly across her nipple. The shocking sweetness of the action spiked along her nerves, and was echoed by an answering pulse at her core. Without meaning to she moaned again, the sound of it causing Edmund to grind himself against her.

"Please…" she wasn't even sure now what she was asking him to do.

When all of a sudden he did stop, raising his arms either side of her against the wall. He rested his forehead against her, his harsh breathing mingling with hers.

"I cannot stand this any longer, I have tried Lucy, God knows I have tried." She knew he was hurting; she could hear the agony in his voice. It broke something inside her to hear him like this, what they were to each other, she didn't know, but she knew she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone else. Her arms came around his hard body and she hugged him to her, he held himself away stiffly at first, keeping his torso rigid until eventually relaxing into her, his arms coming around her too. And for a long while the two stood in a silent embrace.

The knock at the door startled them both. Edmund would have backed away from her, but she held on, reluctant to let him go.

"Lucy?" it was Susan "are you asleep?"

Lucy looking up at Edmund could see once again his mask of scornful indifference that she hated so much settle back in place, the slight sneer puckering his mouth. He had stepped away from her and was opening her door, letting in Susan.

Susan spared him a quick glance of puzzlement, she hadn't been expecting to see him with Lucy, but her concern was all for her sister. Walking towards her younger sister she took Lucy's hands in hers, looked deeply at her.

"Dear one, your face is so hot", Susan stroked Lucy's cheek, pushed her damp hair away from her forehead "and you haven't changed out of your dress". Lucy said nothing, still heavily flushed, her guilty glance sought out her brother who was stood now, leaning against the doorframe watching them both with his habitual stillness.

Susan following Lucy's glance, shook her head at him "Edmund, leave Lucy with me, I will take care of her".

Edmund appeared to pay her no attention, his eyes still on Lucy, watching as she tried to gather herself together, she rubbed a small hand across her face and shifted her dress up so it was more secure.

Hearing Susan's huff of impatience, Lucy gave Edmund a small nod – she would be fine – and watched as he gave them both an ironic bow as he left the room.

Susan in full-on mother-hen mode fussed around Lucy, putting her into her nightdress and washing her face. She plaited her hair and tucked her into her bed. All the while talking of small inconsequential nothings, kind murmuring words, meant to soothe and distract her.

As Susan bent down to kiss her goodnight, Lucy put out a hand and caught her sister's wrist.

"Corin?" she asked.

Susan hesitated "he is sleeping it off. We will talk more tomorrow dear one. Go to sleep now". With a final smooth of her brow, Susan left closing the door quietly behind her.

Much to Lucy's surprise she felt the pull of sleep immediately upon her, the long exhausting events of the day conspiring to shut out any conscious thought. Turning onto her side, she snuggled deeper into her pillow and fell fast asleep instantly.

* * *

It was almost dawn when the shouts and harsh clang of swords fighting woke her. She could hear the screams and running outside in the corridor. The shouts of men struggling, and over and over again one-word repeated throughout, women screaming it, children crying it. It drifted into her consciousness until it set off an alarm inside her, causing her to leap out of her bed and hunt urgently for her weapons:

"Rabadash! He's here!"

* * *

 **A/N: 'Code of toys' – I heart you Edmund.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

 **"** **Well I could sleep forever,**

 **but it's of her I dream.**

 **If I could sleep forever,**

 **I could forget everything"**

 **Sleep, The Dandy Warhols**

* * *

Mid-morning found the Kings and Queens of Narnia collapsed in the Great Hall in a near state of exhaustion. The fighting had been short but bloody and brutal. Every Calormene who had stolen into Cair Paravel lay dead at their feet, their bodies piled in the centre of the room. Every Calormene, apart from Prince Rabadash who had escaped.

The bodies of valiant Narnian and Archenland comrades were also being brought into the room, laid down quietly in the corner and covered with blankets. Nobody was talking above a whisper, the sounds of quiet crying and disbelief pervaded throughout the Hall.

Lucy was sat with Susan, her arm around her sister, holding her as Susan wept, her tears mingling with the blood on her face. There was no doubt in anyone's mind Rabadash's true goal in invading Narnia that night. His plan, disturbingly similar to Edmund's, appeared to have been to steal silently into the palace with a small elite band of soldiers, capture Susan and make off with her, only Susan had not been in her room and Rabadash never one to keep a cool head had ordered the killing of everyone in the Castle until she be located. Despite the element of surprise and the undoubted skill of Rabadash's fighters, they had been overwhelmed, in part by the ingenuity of Edmund who had been heard shouting to protect the Queens in the Great Hall, the Calormenese fighters led by their Prince had no sooner dashed into the room only to realise it was a trap. Peter would have spared the soldiers' lives but they had been ordered to fight to the death, which they did so in brutal order, killing as many Narnians and Archenlanders as they could.

How Rabadash had escaped no-one was quite sure. The whispers circulated that there was a traitor in the Castle.

Lucy ignored them and held Susan close to her. Her sister usually always the image of graceful perfection was in a state of near hysteria, her dark hair wild, bruises decorated her upper arms and blood covered her face and hands. Not Susan's, Lucy had discovered to her relief, but it was evident her sister had fought, her small dagger lay beside her on the ground. Susan had not said a word since the last Calormene had fallen, collapsing against the wall shaking.

Edmund stood talking quietly with Peter and Lune. All three men were worn and bloody from the battle, Edmund's shirt had been ripped, his face looked beyond weary, Peter was furious, a tick working in his cheek as he sought to keep his voice level. He kept glancing over at the shaking figure of Susan, his eyes catching Lucy as she gave him a small worried smile.

"We must retaliate and now" Peter said, his fist clenching.

"They'll be expecting it" replied Lune morosely "We need to be clever about this".

"We stick to the original plan" said Edmund coolly, his eyes on Lucy as she kissed Susan's head "We were due to leave at dawn tomorrow. I say we still do that, but we tell no-one our mission. Let them believe that we mourn our dead, that we are still in talks about how to respond".

"What do you mean?" queried Peter.

"I mean that you and Lune and Corin closet yourself away in your rooms each day, give the appearance that you are discussing battle plans. If we do have a spy, they must believe that we still strategise. Buy me time to get to Tashbaan and finish this".

Peter hesitated, "I cannot send you, we need you"

"No. You know this is the best way, the only way"

"I would…" Peter's voice dropped low "I would kill him myself Ed, for what he has done to our sister, to our friends, to our way of life here".

Edmund looked suddenly sympathetic, his hand on his brother's shoulder "I know. I will do this for both of us".

"And you will take Corin?" interrupted Lune.

Edmund glanced briefly up at him "No".

"He fought bravely today" blustered Lune angrily. "He has as much right to honour and defend our lands as you do yours".

"Ed, please", Peter sought his younger brother's face. "Take him, I know he is a good fighter, I trust him".

The three of them turned to regard Corin, who, true to Lune and Peter's word had fought like the very devil during the battle. He was now helping to carry in the dead and checking on the wounded. His clothes torn and dirty, his face slick with blood, he had never looked more like a Prince than that moment.

Edmund tried once more "you forget the events of last night Peter", he fixed a glare on Lune as he spoke, watching as the King had the good grace to blush and turn away.

"I forget nothing Edmund" Peter said calmly "but this is war. When no terrors exist to threaten our lands and loved ones, when no country turns its murdering eyes upon us, we will talk about accountability. Now" He paused "do you agree?"

Edmund nodded his acquiescence silently, and followed Peter and Lune to speak to Corin sparing one last long glance for Lucy.

* * *

Lucy had felt Edmund's eyes burning upon her, but she kept her face resolutely turned towards her sister. Helping her up she led her upstairs to a spare bedroom, her heart twisting at Susan's quiet unusual docility.

Susan's room has been ransacked in the attack last night. She had still not said where she had been in the early hours of the morning and Lucy thought it best not to pressure her in her fragile state.

Asking one of the maids if she could run Susan a bath and bring her some warm tea and a sleeping draught, she stayed with her sister, as Susan allowed herself to be cleaned and put to bed.

At last Lucy walked towards her own rooms fully intent on a proper clean and a sleep. She regarded her sword at her side, though she had wiped it off earlier as best she could, it needed a proper clean to remove the stench of death from its blade. Memories of the fight threatened to crowd her mind and shaking her head to dismiss them, she pushed the door open to her room.

"Hello" said Edmund, turning from her window where he had been looking out.

Lucy was so exhausted she didn't even feel surprised as she entered the room unclipping her sword belt. Pulling her sweaty shirt away from her body she noticed Edmund's eyes darkening as he followed the movement. She turned away in annoyance, leaning back against her desk and crossing her arms defensively across her breasts.

"What do you want?" she asked him tiredly.

He smirked at that and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Still dirty and dishevelled from the fight earlier, his dark hair mussed, another man's blood on his face, he looked dangerous and disturbingly handsome a small voice whispered in Lucy's mind.

She watched his eyes blatantly trace her figure through her shirt and leggings, making no attempt to hide his interest.

"Stop it" she hissed, her face red and embarrassed, the sweat pooling in her armpits.

He stopped his teasing, his expression growing serious as he stepped towards her.

"I've come to tell you we're leaving tomorrow as planned" he said quietly, "our mission continues".

"What?" Lucy felt dazed, so tired bright spots were beginning to pepper the outreaches of her eyesight. "But you can't?"

"Please tell no-one" he said, his hand reaching out to capture hers "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye". He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly, as he made to leave her room.

"No, stop!" she clung to the back of his shirt, "what do you mean? Where are you going?" and then even more passionately "you can't leave me!"

He turned at that, took her face in his hands, leant forwards and kissed her gently. "Goodbye Lucy" he said, and left her room, closing her door quietly behind him.

* * *

The rest of the day was given over to getting the Castle back in order. The dead had been removed to the garden, there would be formal burials tomorrow for all, even the Calormenese.

Lucy had kept to her rooms for the most part, visiting Susan occasionally to check upon her, but the sleeping draught had done its work, and her sister slumbered peacefully.

Supper that night was a quiet affair, the Archenlanders preferring to eat amongst themselves, Peter, Edmund and Lucy found themselves sat alone at their dining table. Peter lost in his own thoughts did not speak to his brother or sister. Lucy felt Edmund's eyes on her but without their usual heat, he seemed contemplative and sad.

Peter having finished his meal roused himself, and bid goodnight to them both, his gaze lingering on Edmund as he clasped his brother's shoulder.

Lucy looking up found for the first time Edmund looking away from her, his knee bouncing up and down as his fingers twitched anxiously on the table. Suddenly filled with a sense of overwhelming love for her brother and for what he was about to face she got up and moved round the table before she could stop herself, throwing her arms around him drawing him into a tight hug, his head cradled against her breasts. His arms came around her immediately as he clutched her tightly.

Eventually Lucy could feel the atmosphere slowly begin to change, the subtle trickle of awareness sliding along her nerves, and when Edmund shifted his head slightly to kiss her breast, she found she was not surprised at all, but only, in a hidden away part of herself, pleased.

She bit her lip to hide a moan as he fastened onto a nipple, sucking through the cloth, his hands splayed on her back, as he pulled her closer to him. His tongue and teeth pressing wet heat upon her as Lucy felt her breath grow short, her legs threatening to collapse under her as she leaned against him, Edmund now supporting her body as he kissed her breasts fervently, one hand reaching down to massage her bottom through her dress, pulling her legs apart to straddle him.

The door to the dining room suddenly opened as one of the servants backed into the room carrying a large bundle of candles. Lucy and Edmund sprang apart as Lucy frantically pulled her dress back in place.

"Apologies" began the servant looking between the two of them "we thought everyone had finished".

Lucy flushed with embarrassment muttered something and dashed from the room intent on reaching her bedroom as soon as possible. When a hand grabbed her arm as she started up the stairs, almost toppling her down them.

It was Edmund, his eyes dark on hers with that look that he only ever gave her. It was a confession; a promise of things to come.

He stepped back away from her, making a show of putting up his hands and letting her continue on her way.

I'll see you later the look had said to her.

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry for the delay to this chapter. Story picks up again in the next, hope you'll stay with me for the journey.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **A/N: Smut, smut and more smut. You have been warned.**

She knew before he let himself in her room that he was coming. The look he had given her on the stairs that evening was a promise. She could have called Alaina to stay with her. She could have slept in Susan's room. Instead Lucy put on her night-dress, sat on her bed and waited for him.

It was, as she thought to herself, inevitable. As soon as he had revealed the truth to her, she realised he was right, she had always known it really - how he had felt. It was her feelings of confusion that she must now sort. How did she feel about him? She did not know.

The door opened and closed behind him softly. He made no move towards her, but only looked at her as she sat on the bed. He leant against the door and smiled at her.

"Edmund" she said slowly. She did not smile, but lay down on the bed above the covers and waited.

He walked towards the bed never taking his eyes from her face as he sat down next to her. His hand reaching out slowly brushed back the hair from her forehead and tenderly combed through it. She allowed her eyes to close as she enjoyed his gentle touch, and when his lips came down to press lovingly on her forehead, her cheeks, her eyes and finally very softly, on her lips, she made no objection.

His kiss deepened but she did not move, his breath soft against her mouth. She could feel his love for her in every breath he took, every press of his lips against hers, every broken sigh and she knew it was killing him.

Without thinking she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. Edmund shrugged off his doublet and hovered above her, a knee either side of her hips as he knelt to kiss her more ardently, his tongue sliding inside her mouth.

All of a sudden he was hard up against her, pushing her down into the mattress, kissing her so hard she couldn't breathe. His hands everywhere as they caressed her through her thin nightdress.

She whimpered in response, pure animal instincts taking over, gasping as he ground himself against her.

"Has any man touched you before?" he asked her sharply, one hand holding her wrist above her head and the other massaging her breast through her shift. "Touched you here?"

"Edmund, wait" Lucy cried twisting her body to get away from him, it was happening too fast, she needed to think.

"What about here?" he pulled up her nightdress and slid his hand along her thigh towards her most private area.

"Edmund no", she placed her hand on his stopping it's movement.

His dark eyes bright and intense stared down at her, she said nothing but gazed upon his face, he was in agony she knew. Half-in-lust half-in- anguish, his eyes begged her forgiveness just as his body needed her submission.

Without thinking she used her free hand to draw his face down to hers again, and kissed him gently and then more and more passionately, she massaged her tongue with his and heard him groan. The air grew silent except for the sound of their eager sucking mouths and murmuring sighs.

His hands slid down her body again, it was clear that he knew what he was doing, that he had done this before. He gently pulled her resisting thighs apart, his body slowly moving down hers.

"No, it's wrong, we mustn't" she was murmuring again and again.

He ignored her, pushed her nightdress up and over her head, she silently acquiescing.

She felt rather than saw that he was staring down at her, her core and the centre of her womanhood. She felt a gush of warmth, wet and awareness flood that area. She was quivering, waiting.

"No, no" she was saying. Yes, yes her body was calling.

He said nothing but bent down his dark head. She saw his curls and then she felt him. His tongue, in the most intimate of ways licked her slowly from top to tip, and then back again.

"I have waited to taste you for so long" he breathed, and licked her again and again. Lucy felt delirious, warmth and pleasure building, she was gasping. "You taste like honey; did you know that?"

She could only moan, clasping at the sheets on either side.

"Tell me, do you like this? My tongue, tasting you?" he bent again and licked slowly up.

"I…I do not know…", her head was thrashing from side to side. Something urgent was building within her, like a storm waiting to break out.

He pushed one finger slowly inside her, then two, moving in and out. Lucy was panting short breaths and whispered cries.

"Well?" Edmund paused and stared down at his beautiful sister. Her face flushed, breasts heaving, delicate rose-tipped nipples shifting up and down. He moved his fingers again.

"I want….I want…" Lucy was shaking her head

"Do you want this?" He bent again and licked her core "My mouth on you? Touching you where no one has touched you before?"

"Yesss" she breathed

"Say it"

"I want your mouth on me"

"And, tell me how much you like it"

"I…love it... I love it when you lick me". He was bent over her again, his tongue flicking the small bundle of nerves.

The wave crested and broke, Lucy shuddered convulsing as pleasure ran in ripples across her body. Edmund did not stop and continued to suck at her.

"Wait, stop, it's too much" she cried trying to push him away.

"Never" he said and continued. The pleasure built again, and this time he took her clit directly into his mouth and sucked hard, his fingers curled up inside her.

Lucy screamed and bucked her hips off the bed "Edmund, oh Edmund!"

A knock at the door disturbed them "My lady?" they could hear the voice of Alaina outside.

Edmund wiped his mouth on Lucy's thigh and moved himself up her body "tell her it was a nightmare" he whispered against her ear, one hand massaging her breast, the other between her legs stroking her.

"No…we must stop" Lucy hissed back at him.

Edmund's fingers continued their inexorable dance across her soft flesh, and he bent to take an engorged nipple into his mouth making suckling noises of arousal.

Lucy arched her back again as the knocking continued. Security had been stepped up in the wake of Rabadash's attack, and Alaina's concern was only in response to that Edmund knew, but he would not stop, could not stop in fact. Not now that he was finally having her _, his Lucy_ , shuddering in pleasure beneath him.

"I'm…fine...bad dream" called out Lucy breathily, throwing an arm across her face to muffle her cries.

"That's my girl" he whispered into her ear and kissed her neck, his fingers frantically rubbing circles on her. They didn't even notice when the knocking ceased, Lucy captured his mouth again with hers, noting with some small thrilled part of her brain the salty taste on his lips and knowing it was her. Edmund thrust his tongue deep in her mouth, kissed her sloppily, passionately. All of a sudden he started, as a small hand crept down his chest and rubbed his cock through his leggings. He jumped back.

"I'm sorry" murmured Lucy contritely.

"No, no I liked it" he said, and pulling his shirt and leggings off freed himself. He saw Lucy's wide eyes gazing down at him, heard her hitching breathing and knew she was as aroused by the sight of him as he was by her. He cupped his hand and moved it slowly up and down himself panting "like this, you see".

Leaning forward she closed her hand over him and began to move it up and down his cock. It was like every fevered fantasy Edmund ever had had come to pass. He knew if he did not stop her now, he would finish, shooting off over her hand, like an eager teenager. Gently he moved her away and pushed her down again onto the sheets. He took his time gazing up and down her beautiful body, white limbs splayed, breasts round and perfect, the dark blonde curls covering her core.

"I must have you now" he began saying roughly "I will be as gentle as I can, but I must"

Lucy stared up at him wide-eyed and made no move to stop him.

All of a sudden he glanced then up at her face and the reality of the situation struck, it was as if he was dashed with cold water. He stopped "Oh God, I am sorry, so sorry" he made to get off the bed when Lucy caught his wrist.

"No" she said and sitting up leant forward and kissed him. He did not move, and she climbed to sit on him, a leg either side, the position caused her to rub almost by accident against him.

They both cried out at the exquisite sensations.

"I want you" Lucy said staring down at him "I want this, please". She lifted one of his strong hands and placed it gently over her breast.

Edmund growled threw her back across the bed and in one hard fast movement sheathed himself inside. They felt the tear, and Lucy cried out at the sudden pain. Edmund stopped, waited for her to acclimatise, and then looking ferociously, possessively down at her, began to move pulling in and out of her.

It was like nothing Lucy had ever felt before, the sensations of earlier, that pleasure was nothing compared to this. She was dreaming, it was pure light, she became aware she was shuddering and moaning and Edmund's face was staring fiercely down at her own.

"Do you like that?" he was asking over and over, again and again, as lost she was "God it feels so good".

Lucy was shaking, pleasure coursing through her.

"Waited so long to have you like this, every night I thought about it. Oh God", his movements faster and faster. Lucy moaning loudly again, he was groaning. Let the whole Castle hear he thought, let them know that she was his, that he was having her.

"You are mine you hear me" he was saying fiercely to her, his orgasm almost upon him "you will never do this with anyone else, and I will have you from now until forever". He was bucking into her now fiercely, and she screamed clenched out her orgasm around him, as he came into her, spurting his seed "You. Are. Mine" he was growling out as they both shuddered to a finish.

* * *

It was still dark outside when the knocking began at Lucy's door, waking her up with a start. A body was curled around hers, a strong arm around her waist and face pressed into her neck.

"Shhh" Edmund said sitting up, years of battle-honed readiness meant he had instantly woken as soon as the sound had started. He slid off the bed and quickly dressed, unsheathing his sword and creeping to the door.

"Lucy?" they heard Susan hissing from outside.

Lucy threw on her nightdress and stood behind Edmund as he opened the door to their sister.

Susan entered quickly, her hair wild wearing only a thin nightdress and robe. She threw Edmund a look of surprise but stopped dead when she saw the messy bed.

Lucy feeling sick with apprehension watched her sister turn, eye them both with a speculative gaze; Edmund, supercilious and defiant and Lucy blushing and nervous.

Shaking her head Susan crossed her arms and sat in the wooden chair by Lucy's mirror "you fools", she said briefly, holding up a hand when Lucy moving towards her would have launched into a passionate defence. Edmund however had turned away, done his usual withdrawing trick and was staring off into the distance, haughty disdain etched across his features.

"There is no time" Susan said abruptly "Ed I know you are leaving soon. Peter told me" she replied in response to his lifted eyebrow. "You must take Lucy with you".

"No!" Edmund's icy veneer broke, he looked aghast.

"You must I'm sorry. It's the only way to keep her alive"

"Su?" Lucy had reached her sister's side, and taken Susan's cold hand within her own.

"Aslan sent me a true dream. It is the only way, I am sorry" she stood and put an arm around Lucy "I have spoken with Peter and you must ready yourself now. Ed will be leaving in a few hours", she threw her brother a stern look "you are meant to be ready".

"I am ready" he said dismissively, and then looking at Lucy "she is not coming. It's not safe".

"She will be with you. Death stalks her at every turn here. You must take her and you must protect her".

"Of course I would protect her, but it's too dangerous"

"I can fight" interrupted Lucy "I'm trained"

"That's not the point and you know it", Edmund caught her arms, pulled her to him. Ignored Susan's snort of shock. He rested his forehead against hers "please, I do this for you".

"I want to be with you" Lucy said softly, only for his ears, her small hand curled against his chest.

"Peter will be coming to your rooms now Ed to talk to you about this" said Susan pointedly "I suggest you return to them now, unless you care to explain where you've been…"

Edmund sighed, he raised one of Lucy's hands to his lips and kissed it, ignoring Susan completely he picked up his sword and left Lucy's bedroom and the two sisters looking silently at each other.

Susan's expression of muted sympathy caught Lucy off-guard "come dearest" she said quietly "let's get you ready".

* * *

 **A/N: And so, finally it begins.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **A/N: So sorry for the delay, and thank you for your kind reviews – you really don't know how much they mean to me. Also – another smut warning, what can you do?**

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 **"** **See the mountain's kiss high heaven**

 **And the waves clasp one another;**

 **No sister-flower would be forgiven**

 **If it disdain'd its brother"**

 **Love's Philosophy, Percy Bysshe Shelley**

They trod silently through the Great Woods one behind the other, Lucy kept close to Edmund aware of Corin at her back and the two guards walking behind him, dressed simply in linen shirts and woollen trousers in hues of brown and green, the group blended into the trees around them. All had been trained in the art of stealth in military combat and only the occasional misstep resulting in a twig snapping betrayed their careful movement. By rights no danger should face them whilst they were on Narnian soil, but Edmund ever vigilant had warned them to be on their guard, and Lucy walked with an arrow threaded ready through her bow.

The sunlight filtered through the green canopy overhead, and they could hear the rustling of animals nearby going about their daily business. Had there not been the imminent threat of war, her own predicted death and an ex-fiancée walking behind her, Lucy thought with a sort-of-half-smirk, that she could have been pretty well happy. True the situation with Edmund was far from ideal, but she could not doubt his love for her, it betrayed itself through his frequent glances back towards her, his hand reaching behind him to help her over tricky bits of the terrain, his touch gentle and assured and his smile secret, hot and possessive scorching her hotter than the midday sun overhead.

They had left Cair Paravel at dawn, Susan hugging her fiercely had pressed a small silver disc engraved with the picture of a lion into her hand. Had told her to hold it and think of Aslan in times of need and help would come. Lucy had threaded it onto a piece of string and felt it now sitting flat and cool on her breastbone beneath her shirt.

She had not yet spoken to Corin, he had looked away from her refusing to meet her eyes as the group met to start their journey, and had then seemed to fall in automatically behind her placing himself away from Edmund and her brother's sardonic looks.

The two guards joining their quest were tall red-headed brothers who had fought with Edmund on previous campaigns, Lucy did not know them well but trusted her brother's judgement and they had so far proved themselves equal to the task, moving through the woods with an almost supernatural quietness matched only by Edmund himself.

The group stopped for lunch after a signal from Edmund, and Lucy sitting near her brother delighted in the quiet joy of resting her head against his shoulder as he leaned against a tree, eyes shut against the glare of the day, listening to the birds and sharing her provisions with him.

"Lucy?" she opened her eyes to see Corin standing nervously in front of her, resolutely ignoring her brother, his hands tensed into fists at his sides. "Can I speak to you please?"

Lucy felt Edmund grip suddenly around her upper arm, and turning saw her brother throw Corin a look of repulsion.

It appeared the Archenland prince had noticed too "in private?" he said, making it clear he was speaking to Lucy only.

She threw a placating glance at her brother, and pulled her arm away from his resisting fingers. She knew he didn't want her to have anything to do with Corin, was furious that he was on this mission with them. _Trust me_ she conveyed silently to Edmund with her eyes, her hand gentle on his cheek. She then rose and followed Corin a little way away from the clearing where they had stopped, out of sight and hearing of the others.

"He acts like I'm planning on hurting you" snorted Corin as soon as they stopped, his brief laughter however dying away at the cold stony-faced expression on Lucy's face.

"Look, I'm sorry" he began again "about everything. You must know that. I was so drunk that night, it wasn't me. That's not who I am". He grabbed Lucy's hand as she would have turned away. "Please believe me, _you know me_ ".

"Do I?" she said dismissively.

"Of course you do". He was outraged, his hands on both her upper arms now, dragging her round to face him. "Did this summer mean nothing to you?"

Lucy studied his anguished expression, his green eyes desperately fixed on hers. Against her better judgement she could feel the bond of friendship between them slowly start to reassert itself, she remembered the ease and playfulness of his company. But still, the memory of him tearing her gown, his large hands, clumsy upon her, his wine-sodden breath against her ear that was harder to forget.

So much had happened since that evening, only two nights ago in the grand scheme of things but since then war had broken out, and Lucy had discovered that her brother loved her, and she thought with a small smile to herself, she might love him.

She looked at Corin calmly. "I forget nothing" she said, a warning note in her voice as he pulled her eagerly towards him. When he would have bent his head to hers, she pushed hard against his chest. "No" she said decisively, "our engagement is no more. Politically there is no need for it, we are allied in this war, and -" with a note of quiet sadness in her voice "- I do not want to be married to you".

Corin stared disbelievingly down at her, his handsome boyish face suddenly contorting in rage " _you_ do not want _me_?" His grip tightened painfully on her arms, he was bending her backwards, looming over her.

Lucy struggled against him. "Stop this!" she cried, feeling a trickle of fear run its icy finger down her spine. She felt for the first time that she could not understand Corin, could not equate this rough angry young man with her happy-go-lucky companion from the summer. Even when drunk his actions had still made a sort-of sense, as wrong as they had been.

So much stronger than her and with the element of surprise, he had crushed her against his chest, one hand at the back of her head as he stared down into her panting frightened face, his mouth so close that it brushed against hers when he spoke. "We. Are. Still. Engaged" he hissed venomously.

"No, no" Lucy was crying, wriggling to get away. She then screamed in pain as he yanked her hair hard pulling her back in place, as his mouth descended upon hers to take it in a brutal kiss.

All of a sudden Lucy became aware that Corin had frozen, letting her go so suddenly, she stumbled away from him falling on the ground. Looking up she saw Edmund at Corin's back, his sword pressed between Corin's shoulder-blades. The look on Edmund's face spelled murder.

For a moment no-one moved, the only sound was Lucy drawing frantic breaths as she looked between her brother and her erstwhile fiancée.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't carve you in two" Edmund spat, the sword pressing into Corin's back, breaking the skin causing a thin trickle of blood to seep through his shirt.

"Because I know all your secrets _Edmund The Just_ " replied Corin mockingly, seemingly unaffected by the threat or the sword "you would set yourself above me, but I know you and – "he paused, looking down at Lucy "- I know her".

"No Edmund!" Lucy cried, as she saw her brother draw his sword back to strike. Scrambling up she pushed Corin out of the way to stand between her brother and him. "No" she said again firmly "this is not who we are". She watched the icy rage fade in her brother's dark blue eyes as he looked down at her, the familiar intense expression back as he stared intently at her.

"Fuck off" he said contemptuously to Corin. The two of them ignoring the Archenlander prince as he shot them a look of pure loathing before walking back to the camp.

Seizing Lucy's hand, Edmund pulled her further away into the Forest, threading quickly past the trees, she blindly stumbled after him almost running to keep up with his forced pace.

Stopping he suddenly pushed her up against a huge oak tree, the bark solid at her back, the dappled green and brown leaves shifting overhead bathing her hair and face with shafts of golden sunlight. Edmund kissed her hard without preamble, his body firm against hers. She could feel his need for her, his hunger as his mouth raked hers, his manhood stiff against her belly. With a visible effort he slowed himself down, and rested his forehead against her, his hands gently holding her own.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, his hands tightening automatically at the memory of Corin assaulting her, the wave of fury sweeping once more through him. He had thought he loved her before, when she was a precious object to be guarded and worshipped from afar, never to be his, but now that she had given herself to him and returned his love, his passion and his obsession for her had grown tenfold. The thought of her in danger, of being touched by anyone other than him sent him into paroxysms of rage and fear. He knew the situation was untenable, that if by some miracle they both survive this war that he would have to make a full account of his actions to Peter, the citizens of Narnia and to Aslan, but for now his number one priority was to keep Lucy safe, and to keep her his.

Lucy attempted to distract him by pressing soft kisses on his cheeks and lips, she unloosened her hands from his and let them curl up against his chest tangled in the material of his shirt. All of a sudden Edmund's hunger for her overtook him again and he pushed her hard against the trunk, his lips claiming hers, his hands underneath her thighs pulling her off the ground and settling her against him. Lucy whimpered at the feel of his arousal rigid grinding into her core the material of her trousers pulled taut against her soft flesh, his hands firm on her thighs holding her in place as he ground against her, his hips marking fevered circles on her.

"Please" he whispered roughly "I must have you now".

She found herself nodding, arching her back as he kissed her neck, his hand coming up to massage her breast through her linen shirt, his thumb dragging over her sensitive nipple causing her to gasp. With shaking hands, he undid the flap at the front of his trousers and then hers, positioning himself against her, he pushed in feeling the clench of soft tissues around him, encompassing him in wet welcome warmth. She felt so good he almost came there, and forced himself to slow down, to enjoy the feel of her silken flesh pulling at him. Pushing again he sunk in all the way, felt her take him to the hilt. She hissed a little in pain and moving tried to adjust herself against him.

"Still sore from last night?" Edmund asked her tenderly.

Lucy nodded at him "yes, but I want this. I want you".

Her words lit a fire within him, and she saw the blaze of passion flare behind his eyes, she knew that he wanted nothing more than to take her hard and quick but that he was forcing himself to be slow for her out of consideration for her needs. His tenderness and concern for her thrummed along her nerves until she felt every pore cry out for love of him, her Edmund, her sweet brother. And as he pulled in and out of her oh-so-slowly, giving her time to adjust to his size to the feel of her flesh being pulled in new and delightful ways, she arched up against him, letting her love for him shine from her eyes. She kept them focussed on his face, watched his intense concentrated expression as he stared down at her tuned to only her and her needs.

"Please Edmund" she whispered teasingly "I need you to give this to me". She watched as his control slipped, as he pushed into her roughly before catching himself, forcing himself to slow down. "Please…I know you want to".

"Vixen" he shuddered, beads of sweat breaking out along his forehead as he fought to keep his rhythm steady and gentle.

Lucy used now to the strange feeling of him inside her, filling her, clenched at him deliberately as he moved within her, smirked prettily at him as he gasped at the feel of her.

"Lucy" he breathed "I cannot control myself, I might hurt you, please…" he pushed in again gently, exhaling shakily.

Without breaking eye contact Lucy reached a small hand inbetween them, slid it down until she was touching herself. Her fingers massaging her clit as she looked at him, watching him watch her as she whimpered.

It was too much for Edmund; he began to pound into her roughly pushing her hard up against the tree. "Is this what you want?" he cried over and over until she came apart, shuddering and crying out against him. He bent forward and captured her screams with his kisses swallowing them down, until he bucked against her jerking out his own release.

They stayed still and silent for a moment listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees and the wind rustling through the leaves. With a final kiss Edmund let Lucy down, gave her his handkerchief to tidy herself, and put himself to rights. Slowly hand-in-hand they returned to the camp.

Corin was turned away from them as they entered the small clearing, she noticed the red-headed brothers throw her and Edmund curious looks, but she quickly turned her back on them to rummage through her knapsack. Finding the pouch with a quantity of green pills inside, she quickly swallowed one ignoring Edmund's quizzical look.

"Let's go" he said to the group, holding out a hand to her to follow him. Swinging her bag onto her back, Lucy pushed her sweaty hair off her neck and followed him looking only directly in front of her and away from the other members of the group. She heard them fall-in behind her, and they continued on their journey across the Woods.

Lucy found herself thinking back to the conversation she had with Susan the night before. Her sister had left her room just before dawn, returning with a small red velvet pouch inside containing a quantity of what looked like medicine.

 _"_ _You will need to take one of these after every time" her sister had cautioned her solemnly._

 _"_ _I don't know what you mean" Lucy had replied blushing her head bowed. She heard Susan's snort of exasperation._

 _"_ _You are not a child anymore Lucy. You know there are consequences to actions. You must take a pill after_ _ **every**_ _time, do you understand? Now, hold out your hand and take one now"._

 _"_ _Susan!" cried Lucy shocked._

 _Her sister, so beautiful and worldly-wise had merely smiled at her and held out the pill until Lucy took it, standing waiting patiently until she swallowed it._

Lucy's cheeks grew warm as she walked along behind Edmund recalling her sister's knowing looks. The question was, why did Susan know about things like this? Why did she have the green pills?

Fixing her eyes on her brother's tall figure in front of her, she pushed all other worries out of her mind, it was enough simply to be here in the present moment she decided, and lengthened her stride to keep up with him.

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 **A/N: So sorry for the delay in posting a new chapter, and welcome to new friends who have joined us on our journey. As always keen to hear your thoughts.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **A/N: Hello friends, good week so far? I got a new job (which is good AND bad). More on that below, and so on with the story…**

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 **"** **I've known mornings white as diamonds**

 **Silent from a night so cold**

 **Such a stillness; calm as the owl glides**

 **Our lives are buried in snow"**

 **Alela Diane, White As Diamonds**

The days began to settle into a routine as the group kept up a steady pace moving through the sun-dappled woods. Rising with the dawn, they would pack up their camp silently moving out with a nod from Edmund. Breakfast was snatched walking along, and lunch a quick affair pausing when they were tired. The only time they truly rested was after the setting of the sun when either Edmund or one of the red-headed brothers - whom Lucy had learned were called Ned and David - had scouted a safe place for them to stop. Edmund allowed them to light a fire as the evenings were chilly and he reasoned that if an attack were to come by night, best that they be warm and able to see their attackers. Plus, it deterred the larger hungrier animals from attacking them as they slept. The group took it in turns to keep watch at night, but Edmund flat-out refused to let Lucy do so, even after her numerous protests. She responded by pitching in with every other available task, if wood needed gathering for the fire, she was the first to collect it, she hunted and skinned the rabbits they ate cooked over the fire at night, and tidied the camp away in the morning and despite her shorter legs she endeavoured to walk twice as fast as everyone else. She knew she was only there because of Susan's prophecy but she was determined to prove her worth to the group and to Edmund. She caught and ignored her brother looking down at her with an amused expression as she trotted at his side, her bow out and eyes alert for danger. The only downside to the expedition and the constant thorn of guilt in her side was Corin. He had withdrawn completely into himself, speaking to none of them and refusing to make eye contact at all with her. He followed Edmund's order but with a supercilious sneer that her brother sighing disregarded. Luckily because of the group's need for stealth, they were all often quiet and Corin's silence was not as noticeable but Lucy felt it keenly, acknowledged herself as the cause and let the blame lie heavily on her shoulders.

Edmund, on the other hand, was more joyous and uninhibited than Lucy had remembered seeing him in a long time. He made no secret of his preference for her, his frequent smiles caressing her as they walked, if he spoke it would always be to her – quietly pointing out something as they passed. He touched her as often as possible, finding excuses to put an arm around her shoulders, holding her hand as he helped her over rough ground, his thumb stroking her skin sending electric tingles along her body. Unable to let her go even in sleep he lay curled around her, one arm supporting her head and the other draped across her waist, an itchy woollen blanket tucked tight around both of them.

Despite their exposure to the elements and their close proximity to the others in the clearing at night, it seemed he was incapable of _not_ touching her. Lucy could feel his awareness of her, his heart beating fast against her back, his breath shallow in her ear as his hand would wander down her body beneath the blanket, stopping to curl round a breast, his fingers gently toying with her nipple. Lucy feeling her own arousal spiking at his touch, pooling at her core shifted slightly pushing back onto him, a teasing rub against where he wanted to feel her most, and revelled in his involuntary gasp, quickly hushed against her neck. He would bite her, a punishment as well as an act of seduction and enjoyed her small wriggle against him. Laying a heavy arm across her hip to keep her still he draped his fingers down underneath the band of her trousers to where he knew she would be wet and ready for him listening to her tiny intakes of breath as she fought to stay silent. Parting her gently with his fingers, he stroked one lightly against her, feeling the sensitive bundle of nerves at the tip. She was so wet he ached with the need to take her, to turn her onto her back part her thighs and have her, but he could not. Not so publically and not now. Forcing himself to slow, to concentrate on her pleasure, he dipped another finger against her tenderly massaging her clit, Lucy turned to press her face into his arm underneath her head, silencing her tiny moans against him. He deliberately kept his movements delicate and soft that they could not be perceived under the blanket, and they served a double-purpose in drawing out Lucy's pleasure, his light teasing fingers whipping her into a frenzy of need. She could not think beyond where his fingers were touching her, every nerve ending strained towards the maelstrom, she wanted it, needed for him to finish her, but he kept her teetering on the edge. Hours, days it seemed as if she was floating in this delirious state of pleasure. When all of a sudden Edmund pushed one long finger up inside her, then two as the pad of his thumb pushed roughly down on her clit. Choking back her cries against his arm, she desperately hoped in some distant place in her mind, that the crackling of the fire hid her moans.

Edmund could tease her no longer, had given her what he knew she wanted, but the feel of her coming, her spasming and clenching at his fingers inside her, the silken flesh pulling at him was almost his undoing. He was so hard against her back it was painful. The need to mount and take her so fiercely upon him that he could clearly see himself doing it in his mind's eye. He withdrew his fingers sharply from her without a word, rolled over and away from her onto his front, pushing his manhood down into the hard earth in a bid to bring himself under control.

Gradually he felt himself calming down and then the soft weight of Lucy curled up at his side, she had moved to drape the blanket back round the both of them, her soft breasts pushed against his arm as she bent forward to whisper in his ear "I love you brother", before settling down against him, an arm around his back as she drifted to sleep.

Stunned he lay there listening to her quiet breathing, the crackle of wood moving in the fire, the sounds of night animals hunting in the woods. She loved him, it was impossible and yet, she. Loved. Him. Edmund fell asleep with a smile on his face, if he had ever been this happy; despite the upcoming war, a rival asleep across the fire, and the imminent assignation of Rabadash to contend with, he could not remember being so.

Soon Edmund's wandering hands became a regular nightly occurrence and Lucy grew to half-love, half-almost-dread, the way his clever fingers could bring her to forget herself as she fought desperately not to cry out and betray their activities. He would never allow her to touch him, always firmly steering any attempt away from himself and redoubling his efforts until it was enough that she could keep herself from screaming. Once when she had blushingly asked him during the cold-light-of-day why he did this, he had smiled a little bitterly to himself and replied that he did not trust himself to not roll her over and take her in front of the others should she touch him. Edmund had apologised almost bleakly for his need to continuously touch her, his eyes so sad even as she saw his arousal cause his cock to rise and twitch in his trousers at the memory of her shuddering against his hands. She was, she knew, a kind of addiction for him, he had revealed as much at the Castle, but she also knew that he loved her, and it was for Lucy, enough. So she let it go, and she let him touch her at night. After all, it was her pleasure he was addicted to, and she was fast becoming addicted to it too.

* * *

After a week the group had reached the grassy borders of Archenland, Edmund had deliberately taken them a circuitous route through the very deepest parts of the Great Wood. If they were followed, their trail would be hard-to-find and Edmund wanted no hint of a rumour reaching Calormen regarding their expedition. Crossing into the grassy plains and away from the camouflage of the trees, Edmund had the group on high alert but apart from a band of horses pawing the grass of a neighbouring field the terrain was still. They walked for several hours over hills and along the river, stopping when the sun was at its zenith to rest under the cool shade of a willow tree, it's long twisting branches draped gracefully onto the bank beside the winding river. Hot and sticky and aware that she had not washed in days, Lucy threw a mischievous glance at Edmund before kicking off her boots and trousers and wading into the sparkling waters, her shirt billowed around her in the water as she rolled onto her back, her eyes tracing the lazy clouds as they drifted overhead. A sudden splash sent a wave over Lucy, spluttering upright she watched in surprise as a beaming Corin pushed away from her into a vigorous front-crawl across to the other side of the river. Being back in his own country had seemed to change him and Lucy had watched all morning as his dark mood had lifted, shadows clearing from his eyes as he drank in the sight of Archenland. She was glad for him.

Two sudden almighty splashes jolted her as she laughing beheld first Ned and then David dive-bomb into the water sending waves over Corin who turning in mock-outrage proceeded to splash the brothers with gusto.

Looking up Lucy saw Edmund watching them from the bank, half-in-censure, half-in-amusement at their antics. She sent him a mocking frown, wiggling her eyebrows at him daring him to join them. The heated look he sent back at her fired her blood, she knew what he wanted and she wanted it too. Swimming over to him she let him pull her from the river without a word, and the two ducked back under the willow branches.

Without pausing or speaking he drew her round to the side of the trunk furthest from the others, his breathing laboured as he gazed down at her body, her nipples dark against the white of her shirt, his hands held the sides of her hips, his fingers kneading almost painfully, he wanted her so much she knew, had been denied this for days. Pushing her up against the trunk, he tugged her underwear down without a word, took himself in hand and entered her. Lucy sobbed at the exquisite friction, there was no time to be gentle, he pushed into her again and again, gasping as she took him all the way to the root. He would not last long like this he knew; he had been so desperate for her all week.

"Oh God, Lucy, my Lucy" he was muttering under his breath, his movements hard and fast. She was so incredibly wet for him, it fired his blood. Reaching down between them his fingers stroked against her, urging her to come so he could too.

With a sob and a constricted moan as Lucy buried her head in her shoulder to mask the noise, she climaxed setting him off instantly. He bucked into her a last few times, his body spasming with the sheer pleasure of it, he had needed her so badly, thought he might go mad if he couldn't have her. Bending forward he kissed her gently. Thank you the kiss said to her, Lucy slipped her tongue inside his mouth, licked his tongue teasingly; it was _my pleasure_ , her kiss said to him.

Incredibly the encounter had only taken a couple of minutes Lucy judged. She could still hear Corin and the others shouting and splashing in the water.

"Come" she said smilingly to Edmund, and drew him into the river to wash and bathe with them.

* * *

"Where are we heading to?" Lucy asked Edmund much later as the group sat around the fire, sharing the rabbit Corin had caught that afternoon. Edmund had hesitated looking round at the suddenly sharp faces that were focussed on him. None of the rest of them knew the particulars of the plan, it had seemed safer that way but yet one look at Lucy's open curious face and he could deny her nothing.

"To see the hermit" he replied catching the look of surprise on Corin's face, before the boy shuttered his expression and turned back again to the fire.

"Why?" asked Lucy, curling up at his side her head against his shoulder as she gazed up at him. The urge to kiss her in front of them all was very strong in him, but he forced himself to look away across at the other members of the group.

"You shall see soon enough" he spoke, cutting off her next question with a kiss on her forehead. "Ned you are on first watch tonight, wake me in 3 hours".

The group knew that meant it was time for sleep, but as Lucy lay down next to Edmund, felt him tuck the blanket round them and his hand begin again its leisurely journey, she resolved to question him again tomorrow. If there was one thing Lucy hated it was being kept in the dark, for now though she would give herself entirely over to pleasure.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, did not mean for it to be so smut-filled – it's just these two! They write themselves, it's not me I promise Your Honour!**

 **As mentioned above, I have sadly (unsadly) got myself one of those proper 'grown-up' jobs that requires lots of travelling about, which means I might not have so much time for writing this story. I really hope that's not the case and I will try my best to keep frequently updating but if there is a delay, please be patient with me and know that it's not because I don't want to, I really do! Real life eh? If it helps I know where this story is going, and I promise you, we** ** _will_** **get there. Until next time, much love and as always, let me know what you think x**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **"** **Hell is empty and all the devils are here"**

 **The Tempest, Act 1 Scene 2, William Shakespeare**

 **A/N: As always, more smut.**

Lucy woke from delicious dreams of feather-kisses planted softly on her face and neck, of strong hands cupping her breasts, thumbs teasing eager nipples and warm masculine breath tickling her stomach. Only to realise she was not dreaming and Edmund was moving down her body underneath the blanket.

She hissed out her alarm, glancing quickly round at the others across the dying embers of the fire. All were huddled into their woollen blankets softly snoring, but the encroaching rays of dawn were beginning to shine from behind the dark clouds and she knew they would be awake soon to continue their journey.

"No Edmund!" She put a restraining hand beneath the blanket to stop him. Realised it must have been his turn to guard just before dawn and he had taken advantage of the quiet to kiss her awake.

He moved up underneath the material to look down at her, the usual urgent intense look back on his face as he gazed at her eyes, her mouth. She knew he was burning for her.

"Please?" he whispered very quietly.

Lucy found herself trembling as hot waves of desire swept through her, that _she_ could induce such passion, such hunger in someone like Edmund, fuelled her own desire, sent liquid awareness rushing along her nerves to her core. She looked again at the shapeless forms of the others as they slept and then gave him a quick nod, her blushing cheeks turning even pinker as she considered the scandalousness of their actions. With no further word he dived back underneath the blanket and parted her thighs, edging her trousers down her legs. She felt his hot breath on her, and then the rough pad of his tongue against her, licking her insistently and without stop. The pleasure built inside Lucy and she knew it would not be long until she climaxed, her legs were already shaking, she could feel the spasms circling the area she needed him the most, when all of a sudden he pulled his mouth away leaving her flesh hot and aching for him.

"Edmund?" she whispered.

He crawled back up her body, she could feel his erection rigid and pulsing against her thigh. He was on top of her now staring down into her face, he took hold of himself and pushed in quickly and to the hilt. Lucy gasped beneath him, her muscles stretching to accommodate him. She was incredibly wet and as he moved against her, she heard the sound of their lovemaking, the squelch of flesh against flesh, to her intense embarrassment.

Edmund's face was fierce, his expression concentrated as he stared down at her, and withdrawing pushed in hard again.

"I will never get enough of you. Of this" he told her quietly, sternly, and moved again.

Lucy could feel it, the wave cresting, she knew it would hit her soon, her muscles were already contracting tighter and tighter around him. She knew he could feel her, he was pushing in harder and more urgently when the wave broke and she spasmed around him, he had stopped moving to watch her face, not wanting to miss a moment, drinking up her pleasure before finishing his own. As she soon as she had finished he bucked quickly into her, erupting so forcefully she thought she could feel his seed shoot into her, his head was thrown back, his mouth frozen open eyes closed in ecstasy as he strained to stay silent.

Sated and happy, Lucy moved her head to the side, glancing across the dying embers of the fire. She suddenly felt a cold flash of fear strike her as she saw a pair of green eyes - Corin's eyes, staring at her from the other side of the fire. Gasping she blinked and looked again more closely, but now his eyes were closed and his face calm, she could not be sure he had seen anything but still.

Edmund was collapsed on top of her, his breathing harsh as he fought to steady himself. Lucy felt him withdraw and roll over to his side, the warm gush of liquid following him to pool underneath her thighs. She wondered if she should say something to her brother, but looking now at Corin's quiet and still face she fancied herself paranoid. Surely not, she whispered to herself, hugging her arms tightly around her middle, willing herself to calm down.

* * *

Lucy had been quiet all morning, as was the custom of the group. She kept glancing anxiously behind her at Corin as she walked through the grassy plains of Archenland, but he did not look at her. He was eating an apple and turning to share a joke with the brothers marching next to him. As the day wore , Lucy felt some of the tension leave her, her own fear mingled with guilt had created a situation of paranoia she told herself, imagining eyes watching her and Edmund at every turn. The hairs at the back of her neck raised a little as she realised that since she had left the safety of Cair Paravel she had felt someone or something observing her, the feeling particularly intensifying when she was close to Edmund. Looking at her brother, his tall and elegant figure striding through the long grass, she wondered what the feeling meant, and clutched at Aslan's talisman around her neck.

The group had walked the entire day, Edmund keen for them to press on to reach the hermit, but it soon became clear that they were not to reach him that night. Footsore, Lucy had limped over to a large flatish rock next to a poplar tree, and edging off her socks and boots was delicately massaging her feet, eyeing up the blisters in resignation.

"We'll rest now" Edmund commanded, kneeling by Lucy in concern and capturing her feet between his warm hands to examine them.

"Just a few blisters" laughed Lucy bravely, wiggling her toes in his face, and then coming to a breathless halt as he leant forward to kiss a pink foot. She glanced quickly round at the others and saw to her relief that Ned and David were setting up camp, Corin however she realised to her horror was watching them both speculatively, his expression inscrutable.

"There's an inn not far from here" he began nonchalantly unloading his bedding "we could get a decent night's sleep. Rest and refuel our supplies, and…" he continued untying and shaking out his grey blanket "Lucy could get some ointment for her feet".

Lucy knew watching him that he was playing Edmund, that Corin was aware of which buttons to press to manipulate her brother. And, she thought, with a sudden shot of fear through her, Corin either guessed or suspected Edmund's feelings for her, he knew Lucy's welfare was the one card he had to hold over her brother.

She saw the interplay of emotions flit across Edmund's face, putting themselves into potentially precarious situations, _she knew_ was not part of the plan, but she also knew Edmund above all wanted her safe, taken care of and happy.

Lucy took hold of Edmund's hand, bringing his attention back to her "I'm fine, really" she said "let's sleep here tonight and hopefully we can get to the hermit tomorrow".

"We won't see the hermit for a few days yet Lucy" laughed Corin in a superior tone "not with the route Edmund's taking us".

The urge to hit her former friend was very strong in Lucy, but she forced herself to ignore him and speak only to Edmund "let's go to sleep now. Honestly, I'm fine to walk further for a few days".

"No" Edmund said eventually, looking down at her "these blisters might burst soon, you need some medicine and you need proper rest", his hand caressed her head, tucked a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear. "I promised I'd take care of you, please Lucy" he said to her quietly, pleadingly. His love for her shining behind his eyes. Lucy knew then Corin had won, if Edmund could not deny himself the chance to take care of her, she could not deny him his love for her.

"Fine" she said, with a glare at a smirking Corin who was repacking his bedding with alacrity, and shrugged her socks and boots back onto her aching feet.

"Follow me", Corin stood to lead the way not bothering to look to see if the others were behind him. The brothers had repacked their belongings during the conversation and hurried off after the young prince. Edmund held out a hand to Lucy and pulled her from the rock, he snatched a quick kiss, and then with an arm around her shoulders, supported her as they followed the others.

* * *

Somewhat to Lucy's delirious surprise, they did eventually reach an inn. She had half been suspecting Corin to have been fabricating the whole thing for some nefarious purpose, but there in front of them stood a weathered building, clearly very old, grey stone clad in dark ivy and a wooden sign with a faded picture of a cockerel twisting in the night air.

Corin banged confidently upon the heavy oak door, turning to smile at the ragtag group behind him, his eyes lingering on Lucy swaying with tiredness and supported by Edmund's hard muscled arm around her. A round old man with a huge grey moustache opened the door, his eyes peering out suspiciously into the gloom.

"Erkel!" Corin cried and clapped the man around the shoulders. The innkeeper looked less delighted to see the young prince, but told the group to follow him in and he'd find rooms for all of them.

"Think we might only have tha'two rooms" the innkeeper was muttering to himself, wiping his hands on his apron and holding up his lamp to examine the group.

"Two is fine" said Edmund firmly "Lucy will share with me, and Corin with Ned and David".

The innkeeper's busy grey eyebrows rose but quailed before Edmund's haughty glare, and he quickly turned to lead them further into the inn. "My niece will take you to your room sir and madam if you will wait here a moment. Please this way" he gestured to Corin and the brothers to follow him down the winding corridor.

The moment the rest of the group had gone Edmund turned to Lucy who by now was leaning heavily against a table in the hallway, her arms supporting her body as her head hung heavy with tiredness. "Dear one…" he began, wrapping her in his arms as she rested herself against his strong warm chest.

"So tired" Lucy murmured, the long days of walking, and nights of undisputed pleasure but little sleep catching up with her.

"I know" he whispered, kissing her hair and holding her firmly against him. As always the feel of her body woke that insatiable hunger in him he had for her, and Lucy felt his manhood begin to rise and twitch against her. Too tired even to be amused she burrowed further into the crook of his neck, content to sleep standing up.

The sound of loud footsteps behind her, and then the crash of crockery dropped on stone brought her swiftly and jarringly awake. Turning Lucy saw a young pretty woman, with light brown hair clearly in the advanced stages of pregnancy, standing with broken cups at her feet. The woman was staring behind Lucy, her face frozen in shock.

"Edmund!" she said "is that really you?"

* * *

 **A/N : I know, cruel of me to leave it there. But I'm glad to be back! Hope you are too? Who can this young woman be? Oh dear, oh dear. As always let me know what you're thinking x**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **A/N: Sooo sorry for the delay – had you given up on me? I work 12-14 hour days now, mental, doesn't leave a lot of time for writing which is incredibly frustrating. But enough excuses and on with the story… FYI this chapter was hard to write**

* * *

 **"Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,**

 **Men were deceivers ever,-**

 **One foot in sea and one on shore,**

 **To one thing constant never."**

 **Much Ado About Nothing** **, William Shakespeare** (happy 400th birthday!)

Lucy felt Edmund's body jolt against her at the sound of cups breaking on the stone floor, his soldier's reflexes moving to place Lucy behind him before she even had time to react to the noise. Stood in the shadows behind her brother she could not see the woman over his shoulder, but she saw Edmund's body stiffen in the gloom as he looked at the newcomer.

"Edmund! Is that really you?" Lucy heard the woman ask. Her brother gave no reply, but Lucy could see the tension in his frame, the stiffness of his shoulders, his fists clenched at his side.

She moved to peer round him, her eyes searching for this other person in the darkness of the corridor. Lucy saw a young woman, a little older than she, she would judge, dressed plainly but becomingly with light soft curling hair about her shoulders, a pretty face and obviously heavily pregnant. The woman had one hand cradled lightly on her round stomach, the other stretched out in greeting to a silent and still Edmund. Looking up at her brother, his face had frozen, his features cold and remote. If he recognised the woman he gave no sign, made no move towards her, it was as if he had become a statue.

Lucy feeling awkward stepped around him and smiled hesitantly at the pregnant girl, drawing her eyes which were now narrowing in hurt and confusion away from her brother to her. "Hello, I'm Lucy" she said gently.

She watched as the other woman's eyes widened and as she quickly glanced at Edmund before looking back at Lucy again. The smile she gave her was guarded and her voice considerably lower than it had been when she had greeted Edmund with such excitement "I am Frances your majesty" she offered with a slight awkward curtsy, the narrow hallway and her round belly making movement difficult.

"Please call me Lucy" she smiled and reached forward to stop Frances from moving more "I am Edmund's sister".

"I know" the reply was given quickly and again Frances appeared to search behind Lucy to the silent man behind her "Edmund has told me a lot about you".

Lucy felt the tension and unease building, who was this strange woman? Why would Edmund not speak? She turned to look at her brother who had at last dragged his eyes away from the woman and looked at her. His mask cracked and the despair she glimpsed clinging to his features terrified her. Lucy knew then without a doubt that this moment would irrevocably change things, for him and for her, that their time in the Forest had merely been a pleasant interlude, and real life a now unwelcome visitor, had arrived.

"Lucy, please go to bed, I will be along shortly" he said at last, his voice so quiet she could barely hear him.

She stared at him in shock "I am not a child you can command to bed" she retorted and half-turning caught a smirk from Frances, hastily concealed as Lucy stared at her.

Edmund's mask was back in place, his expression at his most haughty. "Yes you are, and yes you will" he said coldly. As she opened her mouth to protest he grabbed her upper arm and marched her along the corridor until they got to the stairs at the end. He all but pushed her up them "I will be up shortly" and without waiting to see if she had obeyed he disappeared back into the hallway towards the woman.

Lucy hovered for a moment listening desperately for conversation between Edmund and Frances, but the whispered voices were too low for her to make out although she could sense from the tone of Edmund's that he was very angry.

His fury sent an unexpected shiver down her spine. It had been so long since her brother's rage had impacted on her life, but she could still remember the coldness of it; the slow-burning rage that would dictate his every action. Lucy's wrath would flare up and die down as quick and as fast as a match lit and then extinguished. Edmund's on the other hand, burned cool and long. His anger only made him more clever - more cunning, focussing and driving him until he achieved his goals, extinguished his enemies and only then would the flame be allowed to die out.

Moving her feet up the stairs Lucy let the tiredness seep back into her bones and as she reached the wallpapered hallway above she headed for the only room with an open door. She could just about make out the bed in the gloom of the room, and with actions more automatic than anything else, she quickly divested herself of her boots, trousers and cloak, and keeping her shirt on dived beneath the covers. She fought to stay awake, to confront Edmund when he would come to the room, but tiredness pulled at her consciousness, dragging her under until she was fast asleep not long after her head had hit the pillow.

* * *

Lucy awoke feeling for a moment warm and contented stretching in the dawn sun, it had felt like a long time since she had slept in a proper bed. She recognised the weight at her back, solid and curved around her body, fitting perfectly like he always did. She snuggled for a moment back into his arms, and felt him shift sleepily against her, his face pushed into her neck, his warm breath in her ear. A hand came round to lazily cup her breast, his thumb moving softly across a nipple. Lucy moved against him wiggling slightly to awaken him. There was something bad pulling at the back of her mind, something she did not want to remember in this pleasant warm place halfway between sleep and awake. As she felt Edmund begin to shift against her as he awoke, his hardness press against her back she remembered. Into her mind flashed the face of the woman downstairs – her joy at seeing Edmund, her pregnant belly.

"No, no" Lucy was struggling away from Edmund, his arms had automatically come around her to hold her as she tried to move from him. She felt his muscles tighten and then release as he let her scramble across the mattress.

She backed away to stand on the floor beside the bed, looking down on him. He was wide awake now and staring back at her. His dark eyes troubled as his hands stretched out towards her she knew he wanted to take her back into his arms, to hold her and make love to her until she forgot everything but him.

But she must hold firm, she had to know.

"Who is she Edmund?"

Her brother pushed himself into a sitting position and held out an arm to pull her back into bed. "Come sit down with me darling and we will talk".

"We can talk like this. I must know, who is she?" Lucy realised her breath had become short, that she was terrified of what Edmund might say.

Her brother looked at through heavy-lidded eyes, his mouth pursed slightly as if to hint at all the secrets contained with him. Edmund's life away from Cair Paravel had always been a mystery to Lucy that she had once been keen to solve. But now she did not think she could bear to know and yet she must.

"Who is she?" she repeated. Colder now and insistent.

"She was my mistress" he replied calmly dropping his arm and regarding her. His noble face immobile. If she had not come to know him so well she would have thought him unfeeling but the slight tick at the corner of his jaw, the swallow in his throat gave him away. She knew he was watching her waiting for her reaction.

"When? How?" Lucy could not believe she was asking him so steadily. They might as well have been having a conversation about the plan for a feast.

"A year ago" he hesitated "she is from Archenland, I met her through her work. Her father is, was rather, a tailor. She helped him. She has had….a difficult life"

"And now?"

"And now she is staying with her uncle, the proprietor at this Inn. She is, as you can see, with child. The father abandoned her. Her own father died suddenly from illness a few months ago. She had no-one, so she came here".

"Is the child yours?"

"How can you ask me that?" for the first time his expression broke, he was at his haughtiest, his most furious.

"I ask Edmund because I know nothing about your life. Who you are, and who you have been. You asked me once at the beginning if I had let another man touch me, you delighted in claiming me for your own" she was crying now, the tears running down into her shirt as she looked at him.

He was out of the bed now in front of her, unaware and uncaring of his nakedness, he held her and stroked her hair from her face.

"Because you are mine Lucy, and had another man touched you, I do not know what I would have done".

"But it is the same for me, don't you see" she cried breaking away from him "I cannot bear that you have had lovers before me. That you have given them what you have given me. No, no, no!" she was struggling again as he sought to hold her, to pull her back to him.

"But it was you! It was always you. Do you think I would have touched her, would have touched any of them if I had thought for one moment that you would ever have looked at me the same way I look at you?"

"Stop!"

"It was your face I saw, your body I entered every time. They were you, all you". He let her cry against his chest, his hand stroking her hair gently as he bent down to kiss her face, to kiss the tears that wouldn't stop.

"How many?" she hiccupped furiously.

"What?" Edmund was bewildered.

"You said 'them', how many?"

"It doesn't matter. You are the only one that matters" he cupped her face in his hands desperately trying to kiss her, to calm her.

"No!" with a final wrench she pulled away "it matters to me Edmund. What you did and who you are, it matters. And I need to know before I can trust you again" she scrubbed her cheeks roughly with the sleeve of her shirt, thankful her tears were drying at last. And turning away from him quickly dressed herself.

"Lucy!" she heard and ignored his anguish, the heartbreak cracking his voice.

Turning back to him she endeavoured to say calmly "I will be downstairs ready to leave with the group" and opened the door of the room, only to have it slammed shut in her face as her brother spun her round and pushed her back hard against the wood.

"You will listen to me" he was saying frantically, his hands gripping her arms so tightly she knew he would bruise her "I love you. Only you, always and forever. That is all there is Lucy" and bending swiftly to her kissed her hard and fast his body pushing her against the door, his hips grinding into her.

The cloud of lust that always hung over them threatened to explode again and Lucy knew she wanted him as desperately as he her. His hands were massaging her breasts, her bottom, one hand edging down her trousers to touch and feel her.

With a presence of mind that she did not even know she possessed, she pushed him violently away and wrenching the door open, ran from the room.

Unseeing she tumbled along the corridor down the stairs and burst out the front door of the Inn careering into Ned as he walked with a sack of food towards a handsome brown horse saddled outside the building.

"Careful my lady" he said, one arm out to balance her gently, as he hoisted the sack up onto his shoulders away from her.

Lucy felt her breath come in short frantic gasps, she was looking wildly about her, expecting Edmund to seize her at any moment, drag her back into the Inn and demand they finish their conversation. She half wished he would, so desperately did she need him to convince her that things could go back to the way they were. That the appearance of his former lover, heavily pregnant, beautiful and vulnerable would have no impact, no bearing on Lucy's relationship with him.

"Lucy?" turning she saw Corin, still half asleep at the early hour, his eyes clouding in concern as he took in her distressed appearance.

Ned looked thankful to relinquish his weeping mistress to the Prince, and with a quick bow moved off again towards the horse.

Corin said not another word but took Lucy into his arms and held her as she found herself crying again, his large hands unexpectedly gentle as he patted her back and stroked her hair.

Lucy felt the air turn, knew without a doubt that Edmund was behind her. Felt her tears dry on her face and fear begin to crystalize in her veins. He was behind her and Corin was watching him, his body and arms now stiff as they held her. They were both waiting for Edmund to say something, to strike.

* * *

 **A/N: Annnnd I really must leave it there for now. As always – love, hate, indifference – all views very welcome.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **A/N: When I began this story I wrote because I had an itch to fulfil. Because I wanted to know what happened to the Pevensies during the 'Golden Age' of Narnia. But somehow along the way I have been lucky enough to pick up some of the most thoughtful and intelligent readers and I just wanted to say thank you to you for the lovely reviews you write and for the encouragement you give, it is you who is giving this story life.**

 **Enough from me, onwards…**

* * *

It was as if time had slowed down moving thickly like syrup pouring from a spoon. Lucy knew Edmund was behind her, she knew he was furious and that his anger once unleashed and directed would not cease until it met its target. She knew him to be jealous, of Corin in particular, her recent engagement had sparked that and now here she stood, her cheek pressed to her former fiancée's chest, wrapped within his arms, Corin's hands on her hair and back. _He deserves to feel jealous_ , a nasty little voice whispered in Lucy's mind, _let him have a taste of his own medicine, remind him that he is not the only one to be desired_.

No one moved. No one said anything.

Corin had not taken his arms from her, if anything he was holding her closer, tighter. A quick glance up at his face confirmed the defiant glare on his face as he looked over Lucy's head at her brother. It would be now, Lucy said to herself, Edmund's rage would be unleashed now. She could hear Corin's heart beating fast echoing her own frantic fear. She should move, she should calm Edmund.

She did nothing.

She heard the sound of steel being slid from its scabbard and at last Corin dropped his arms to draw his own weapon.

The noise finally brought Lucy to her senses, she whipped around to face her brother, to stop him when Frances appeared stepping in front of him. Lucy could not hear what she was quietly whispering to Edmund, but she saw her take his hand and place it onto her stomach, saw her reach up and caress his cheek. Edmund had sheathed his sword as soon as Frances had come into view Lucy had noticed with wildly resentful anger, and he was now looking down at his supposedly former mistress with a gentle expression. She heard Corin snort derisively behind her and then the sound of metal being slipped back into leather, as he also returned his sword to its home.

"Promise me you will return" Frances said audibly, her hand still on Edmund's cheek. His eyes rose, stormy and conflicted to find Lucy's.

"I will ask Peter to send help for you" he said quietly ignoring her small gasp of hurt and then stepped away from her.

Ned and David were by now stood waiting with a brown horse laden with packages and bedding, a small way from the group. Edmund strode towards them to confer with them, and Corin after throwing a smirk in Lucy's direction re-entered the Inn to pay the proprietor.

Aware her eyes were red from crying, her shirt rumpled from sleeping in it, and she could not remember the last time she had had a proper wash, Lucy lowered her eyes awkwardly away from Frances, not wanting to acknowledge her or have anything more to do with her. She felt an irrational hatred seize her as she contemplated the other woman's loveliness even more apparent in the morning light, her shiny brown hair lying perfectly on her shoulders, the rose flush along her cheekbones, her pregnant belly signalling her fertility - her womanliness. Lucy knew she should pity her; her father dead, her lover had abandoned her, she was with child and she was alone and yet she could not rid her mind of thoughts of Frances's body entwined with Edmund's, her perfect pouting lips open in frozen ecstasy, and then of them talking together, her brother sharing his secrets – his thoughts, and who he really was with someone else.

It was too much, and Lucy turned away starting to walk away from all of them to distance herself when she felt a hand grab her arm. She looked down and noted to her surprise that it was pale and delicate, not Edmund's. She looked up and Frances was looking agitatedly over her shoulder, her hand gripping Lucy hard.

"Be careful of Prince Corin" she quickly hissed.

"What?"

"He is not what he seems. He sent me here, he…" but she then broke off suddenly as Corin reappeared in the doorway of the Inn.

"Thank you your majesty, I shall let the High King and Queen Susan know that you are safe" curtseyed Frances, her back to Corin, her eyes warning Lucy to stay silent.

Lucy wanted to scream. What was going on? Secrets everywhere. But she recognised that look on Frances's face, she herself had had that look often enough during the battle with the White Witch, it was fear.

Lucy gave her a quick nod and drawing her cloak closer around herself moved towards the others. Edmund and Corin seemed to have established an uneasy truce again, or rather neither was at the other's throat with a sword and were busy checking their packs to make sure they were ready.

Eventually Edmund stood with his usual grace, threw an unsmiling look at Lucy who was stood a little way away from them, her head turned to look at the doorway that Frances had just disappeared through back into the building.

"Come" he commanded walking out of the clearing. The rest of the group automatically falling back into their usual positions, with David and the horse bringing up the rear.

* * *

They walked for hours in their customary silence, Lucy's mind in turmoil. Ahead of her strode Edmund, dark and tall never faltering over the occasionally rough train and still slowing to help Lucy when she needed it. His eyes shadowed and sad would meet hers and then once he had righted her across a pot-hole he would turn back and carry on leading the group. The tension of having her estranged lover ahead of her, and of having a suspected enemy at her back was making her feel so sick she wanted to alternately rage at them both and hide away. Whenever Lucy would turn around to look at Corin he would meet her gaze with a quizzical ironic grin harking back to their days of friendship over the summer _remember what good times we had_ seemed to be communicated in every twinkle of his eyes at her. And yet she could not forget Frances's warning.

* * *

Several hours later they stopped in a small clearing to eat lunch and allow the horse to drink from a nearby stream. Lucy feeling the ache in her lower calves starting to return leaned against a tree to stretch, surreptitiously watching Corin for any signs of strange behaviour as he rummaged in his bag for food. As usual his mind seemed completely focussed on the immediate which in this case was now a ham sandwich packaged up at the Inn earlier. Turning away from him Lucy's focus swung round to Edmund, her heart clenching at the familiar bittersweet sight of him. She caught a quiet nod exchanged between him and Ned and David, and then traced the heavy frown puckering his forehead. He was obviously worried about something.

Screwing up her courage Lucy approached him. "What's wrong?" she murmured. The first words she had spoken to him since running away from him that morning.

She had seen the hopeful light shine from his eyes at her approach only to shutter at the question. "Nothing" he said dismissively and turned away from her to hunt through his bag for his lunch.

The old Lucy of a few weeks ago whom Edmund had encountered when he had first returned from his travels would have caved at that, would have respected her older brother's authority and would have felt herself silly and small for questioning him. She was not the same Lucy; it was not so much the act of making love which had changed her but rather the confidence imbued from it, and from the knowledge that the person she respected most in the world loved and admired her. Edmund did not treat her like a child when seducing her at night, he would most certainly not treat her like a child now when Narnia was at war and every action the group took could mean potential death for any of them.

"No" she said to him firmly staring him in the eye "there is something happening and you will tell me what it is". She stood waiting, arms folded across her breasts refusing to break eye contact. "Now".

Edmund sighed, but she saw the quick flicker of his eyes tracing the material of her shirt pulled taut across her chest and felt the quick familiar pang of desire pool in her stomach, but she forced herself to ignore it, to concentrate on the task in hand, to remember what it was Edmund had done and why she was angry.

Seeing that Lucy was not going to move until she'd had a response, Edmund spared a quick glance for the rest of the group. Ned and David were listening but also evidently keeping a watch for anything beyond the clearing and Corin whilst apparently focussed solely on the task of eating his lunch was clearly listening too.

Edmund leaned back against a trunk and allowed himself to drink in the sight of his beautiful sister stood in front of him. She looked as fierce and as queenly as a lion, her golden hair caught in the breeze - tendrils of sunlight dancing in the wind, magnificent in her determination to know the truth, Edmund felt his heart physically hurt as he looked at her. She was perfect, her vitality her shining character; he knew he would fight for her every day until she forgave him.

"We are being followed" he said softly speaking only to her, although he saw Corin's head raise in his peripheral vision.

Lucy took a deep breath "for how long?"

"Shortly after we left the Inn I estimate. But it does not matter when they started following us, the question is – what do they want?"

"Sire…" it was Ned, his sunburnt face staring worriedly out beyond the treeline.

"Pack up" said Edmund calmly "slow movements, don't let them suspect we know".

Everyone began to reassemble their gear, and David strapped various bundles back onto the horse. Lucy watched as Edmund casually made his way over to Ned and the two of them had a whispered conversation.

"This is all very exciting" Corin remarked jovially to Lucy sidling up next to her one hand holding his bag in place the other coming to rest peremptorily on her waist.

She stepped away from him allowing his hand to fall down to his side. "No it isn't" she said abruptly and looking up caught Edmund's fierce gaze on her face as it flickered between her and Corin.

Taking a calming breath Edmund gave a nod to the group and with one final murderous look to Corin he signalled the group to follow him out. All even quieter than before if possible and so painfully alert that every noise seemed absurdly amplified. Lucy almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden sound of a bird screeching overhead but forced herself to relax and carry on moving softly.

Whoever was following made no move to confront them, and the group continued their inexorable journey to the Hermit. Edmund had reasoned that the Hermit was so well known there was no point disguising their destination and if they could just reach it without incident they could plan their next course of attack. _Protect Lucy_ kept thundering throughout his head, nothing else mattered to him now, nothing.

It happened all-at-once and when the group had finally stopped to rest beside a stream as the sun set. They were quite close now Edmund knew, only 7 or so miles walk to go. When the attack suddenly came – battle-cries filled the air and all of a sudden it seemed as if hundreds of pursuers were behind them. Fearsome creatures from wraiths, to minotaurs to hags and other loathsome creatures were leaping and crawling after them, catcalling them, shrieking their evil intent. Pain and blood were their promises, death their guarantee.

"RUN!" and the group ran without stop. Horrifying fear turning Lucy fleet-of-foot as no pot-hole proved an obstacle now. Luckily they were all relatively fit, the men able to run for hours carrying their equipment and were considerably faster than the beasts following them, however Lucy began to tire after a few miles, her pack seemed to be filled with stones so heavy was it upon her, dragging and slowing her down.

"Oh Aslan, Aslan!" she sobbed clutching at the talisman at her neck as she stumbled on, now behind the others. Edmund turned round horror gripping him as he realised Lucy was not behind him. A wraith had almost caught up with her, had stretched it's bony white fingers to grab at her.

"No!" Edmund had run back to her and swung at it taking it's head off in one clean stroke. Scooping Lucy up under one arm, he half dragged her along, supporting her resting the weight of her pack on him.

The overwhelming feeling of love and safety in Edmund's arms almost sent Lucy into a delirium as they ran. She looked around at the others in the group now drawn up level with them; the crimson rays of the setting sun turned all their faces to blood-red and Lucy thought this might be the end for them now. She could feel her added weight was taking its burden on Edmund, soon he would have to slow, soon their enemies would catch them when all of a sudden up ahead there appeared a solid green wall glowing orange in the rays of the evening sun. An old man carrying a staff with a long white beard and a simple robe stood by a door in the wall, which now they were closer they could see was clearly a hedge. He was looking at them and shouting, as they ran closer they could hear him.

"Faster! Faster!" he called. And with a supreme last burst of energy the group including the horse burst through the doorway into the garden beyond. Lucy quickly turned despite her state of exhaustion, she knew one old man could not hope to guard against an army of those creatures. She saw that Edmund and the rest of the group had also drawn their swords and were returning to stand next to the man who took no notice of them.

As the creatures almost reached the hedge the old man held up his wooden staff and then brought it heavily down onto the ground and with a flash of light and an agonising scream of agony that felt never-ending, the army disappeared and the sun slipped out of the sky allowing night to fall.

* * *

 **A/N: Well that was a long chapter, hope you liked some more plot development this time round. I am on holiday tomorrow for a few weeks so likely not be an update for a while – but please do let me know what you think about this chapter, always keen to know your thoughts.**

 **Until next time x**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **A/N: Wow, it has been a long time. Many apologies, I've been on an epic (and needed) holiday away – may I just say America, I salute your doughnuts, nothing in the UK compares. I think I may have actually moaned aloud after eating one.**

 **Reminder: (If like me you have a terrible memory and need a catch-up)**

 **Rabadash and his men infiltrated the palace of Cair Paravel in a plot to kidnap Susan and in doing so started a serious war between Calormen and Narnia and Archenland. In response Edmund and Lucy, along with Corin and a couple of Edmund's men have set-off on a secret quest to kill Rabadash and put a stop to the war.**

 **Edmund has confessed to Lucy he loves her, and is over joyed to discover she returns his love. However due to some (as yet unexplained) scheming on the part of Corin, Lucy comes face-to-face with evidence of Edmund's past with other women and is unable to accept it. The group travel to meet the Hermit to help them on their mission when they are beset by an army of dark creatures which the Hermit rescues them from…**

* * *

 **"It is your blood in my veins**

 **tell me how I'm supposed to forget"**

 **Rupi Kaur**

It had been so long since she had felt this clean. Lucy settled back into the stone bath idly moving her arms across her body in the warm water creating faint ripples. Her head rested against the wide-lip on the edge of the tub and she deliberately let her mind go blank…she thought of nothing; not Corin, not this war, not their quest and not Edmund. And yet the act of thinking of nothing caused the somethings to tickle at the edge of her consciousness, like unwanted guests at a dinner party, banging on the door, refusing to leave.

They had all been in a state of shock after the Hermit had caused their enemies to disappear with a wave of his staff, his magic had lain heavy in the air after tingling across their skin. Edmund had been the first to recover, of course, and had stepped forward to introduce himself and the group to the elderly man. The Hermit with a gentle smile had interrupted him and pointed towards Lucy who was swaying on her feet, exhausted and done.

"I know who you are King Edmund the Just" the Hermit had said "but at this present moment, Queen Lucy needs my attention. Please, let us speak later". And after offering his arm to Lucy had drawn her into his simple cottage within the grounds of his enclosed garden.

So tired was she, that she did not notice where he was taking her until she was in a small plain room with whitewashed walls, a freestanding clawed bath made of pale grey stone stood in the middle of it. The high window looking out to the sky showed dusk settling amongst the clouds and the perfumed smell of flowers from the Hermit's garden floated in. He had waved his staff again and steaming water had appeared in the bath, and then with a pat on her back and a nod to Lucy he had left her to it.

She shucked her clothes and boots almost immediately and climbed straight in. The bliss of the hot water hitting her skin made her almost pass out, and she quickly settled back breathing in the smell of lavender and rose that seemed to be emanating from the water.

She did not know how long she had lain there - the water seemed to never get cold - but after washing her hair, she noticed her fingers and toes had become all wrinkled and prune-like and she thought with a sigh it was probably time to get out. Turning her head, she noticed with a start a pile of towels and a dressing gown to the side of the bath that had certainly not been there before. Deciding not to question it she carefully stood and clambered out onto the floor, the chill in the air causing her wet skin to prickle almost immediately and she reached down to bundle herself up in the dressing gown. Once towel-dried Lucy stepped cautiously out of the room into a small dark corridor with a number of doors leading off it, following her nose and the smell of a stew cooking, she pushed through the door at the end of the hall into what was clearly a homely kitchen.

The kitchen itself was empty, but a bowl of delicious smelling broth with a hunk of bread lay waiting as if for her on the wooden table.

"Hello?" Lucy called out cautiously, her stomach rumbling embarrassingly loudly in chorus. There was no reply, and finally overcome with her own hunger she sat down at the table and wolfed down the food, pausing only to take stock of her surroundings. The small kitchen was well-appointed with a hearth and stove for cooking, dried herbs hanging on string, pots and ladles aplenty along the opposite wall, and the large wooden table at which she sat which she seemed to take up most of the space.

After finishing the meal Lucy knew it was time to face reality and Edmund, and resolved to find him and their group. She returned to the corridor and carefully checked each room. She found the garderobe, what was obviously the Hermit's bedroom (empty), a cosy study with a desk, a settee and shelves filled to the brim with books, several closets, and finally a spare room with a large wardrobe. Lucy half-laughed to herself and stepped inside closing the door behind her to gaze upon the wardrobe.

For a moment she felt like a child again, wandering in her Uncle's house, looking anxiously for somewhere to squirrel away during their game of hide-and-seek. Without even realising what she was doing, Lucy stepped forward and with some effort opened the stiff wooden doors. It was empty inside and just like any other regular wardrobe.

Chiding herself for her foolishness she turned round and spotted the comfortable looking bed opposite her, the blankets looked to be of the softest lambs wool and the sheets of the crispest cotton. Feeling suddenly more tired than even the night before Lucy crawled into the bed pausing only to pull off her heavy dressing grown and settled beneath the sheets. She was asleep before her head touched the pillow.

* * *

Her thoughts were muddled; hazy, darting past so fast she couldn't hold onto them. She was in a fog of grey cloud following a light and a voice. Edmund's voice.

"Lucy, dear one" he was calling. "Come to me".

"Yes!" she cried, tripping in her eagerness to catch up with him "wait for me Edmund!"

"This way…" his voice was fainter, and she felt a stab of panic that he was leaving her.

"Wait! Please wait!"

"Lucy…" he whispered so very faintly.

"Noooo!"

She awoke suddenly with a jerk sitting up in bed, her hands over her face, her mind racing. Calm down, just a dream, she told herself.

She knew before she took her hands from her face that she was no longer alone in the room. That someone, or _something_ was in there with her, and was watching her. She could feel their gaze sliding along her skin, nestling between her breasts bared to the air. Dropping her hands, she quickly pulled the sheets up and strained her eyes staring out into the dark.

There they were; eyes staring back at her, and a face; an angular jaw, a high forehead. She could make out his chin rested upon long elegant fingers as he studied her. An insouciant air about him. She did not need her eyes to adjust to the dark to know who this visitor was.

"Hello". Lucy said, surprising herself with the steadiness of her voice. She couldn't tell for sure but she thought she had caught a gleam of teeth as he grinned at her reaction.

"Hello" he responded gravely.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you"

"Oh". She paused. "How did you know where I was? How did you find me?"

"I will always find you Lucy" said so sincerely she could feel it in her bones.

"Where are the others?"

"Outside. Asleep"

"And the Hermit?"

"In his room". He gave a slight chuckle then, and seeing a little better now she watched his finger resting by his jaw stroke his lips absently. Secrets. Edmund was always keeping secrets.

"What's going on? What do you want?" Lucy said a little more sharply than she intended to. She still desperately wanted to know what had happened after she had left, and she resented Edmund making her pull the information out of him piece by piece.

"What do I want? I want you of course. You are all I have ever wanted".

He stood then and moved towards her.

"Wait" she held up a hand to stop him. "Turn around"

"Why?" She could hear the tension in his voice.

"Just do it".

She watched him spin, turning his back to her, his spine stiff. Reaching down beside the bed she fumbled on the floor until she found her dressing gown, and slipping out to stand she quickly put it on and securely belted it.

"We can talk now".

Edmund turned back around, raising a quizzical eyebrow at her but said nothing. He slowly backed up to give her some space, never taking his eyes from her as she sat on top of the covers on her bed, primly crossing her legs. He returned to his chair, and threw himself back in it with a smirk.

"Well now…" he began teasingly.

"No". She interrupted "this will not be 'silly Lucy has got herself into a pique over nothing'. You will not make me feel stupid or ridiculous for doubting you".

He watched her silently as she continued.

"You will not kiss me, or try and touch me and make me forget the events of yesterday. I want to know you and your past and only when I do, can I trust you again". She paused to draw breath, hating the tears pooling at the corner of her eyes and hoping fiercely that the darkness hid them.

"What do you want to know?" His voice was quiet, the teasing tone completely gone.

"When you were absent all those times over the years…this summer…were you going to see her? Other women?"

"Yes".

She drew in a pained breath.

"And you said to me 'them', how many women did you mean?"

He was silent for a long time.

"What does this help Lucy? To name a number is ridiculous, it means nothing"

"How many Edmund?" she repeated.

He hesitated. "19", he said.

She couldn't help the outraged snort that escaped her, "19?! One for every year of your life I suppose? Oh how apt".

"They meant nothing to me Lucy"

"Then that makes it even worse Edmund. That you could share with someone what you have shared with me and yet hold your heart back. Who is to say that that is not what you're doing now? I gave myself to you. I broke the laws of this land, to lie with my brother and for what? I thought you loved me, I loved you. What a little fool I was" Her voice was rising louder and loud, the tears openly flowing.

Edmund rose out of his chair and caught her up to him, his hands squeezing hard on her upper arms.

"Yes you are a little fool" he said tenderly, pressing hot kisses against her forehead, his thumb wiping away the tears from her cheeks.

"Do not mock me!" she cried and struggled to free herself from his arms but he only tightened his grip around her holding her fast against his chest.

"Shhh" he murmured, stroking her back trying to soothe her. "Listen to me and I will tell you the truth. That's what you want isn't it Lucy?"

She quietened down, hiccupping slightly and burying her face in the shoulder of her dressing gown. She was not a pretty crier, and though the darkness would hide her red eyes, she found she could not face her brother so distraught.

His arms loosened around her, still holding her but giving her space.

"Yes I have been with 19 other women. Shhh" he held onto her tightly again as she involuntarily shuddered at his words and attempted to move away from him. He only continued when she had stopped.

"Do you know what my first memory is?" he asked her casually, his hands stroking her back.

She shook her head in bewilderement.

"The night mother and father brought you home from the hospital. You were all wrapped up in a little yellow blanket. We peered over at you, Peter, Susan and I and you began to cry, your face all red and blotchy. What a horrible noise it was. Susan covered her ears and left the room immediately. Peter demanded to hold you and rock you. But still you carried on. Eventually I asked for my turn. I always wanted to do what Peter did you know, to be better at it than him. Mother made me sit down on her lap so she could support us, and then father took you from Peter and placed you in my arms, and it was a miracle you stopped crying. You opened your eyes to look up at me, and they were such a deep blue. I have not yet seen an ocean or a clear sky that can match your eyes Lucy. And then you smiled. They claimed it was a fluke, not a real smile. Babies are too young to smile they said. But I knew then that you belonged to me and I to you. I was still a toddler myself, but I knew that you were mine".

Lucy had drawn her head up during Edmund's long speech to stare up at him, but his eyes were glazed as he looked away from her, lost in his memories.

"I changed during childhood, as you know. I was so jealous of the love you seemed to have for everyone and they for you. I became jealous of you. The smiles you gave to Susan; the laughs Peter would draw from you as he pretended to chase you – your fat legs pumping so fast as you raced down the garden. Such a sunshine and happy child and I was always the gloomy sullen one. We could not have been more different. You would attempt to charm me with your golden smiles, giving me a flower you had found in the garden, a drawing you had done of me. But I was so angry, so bitter, I would rip your drawings, throw away your flowers. My one good act was rescuing your teddy, but you remember that" he paused and looked down at her.

Lucy's tears were completely dry now, she was watching him in wonder, her rosebud lips parted slightly in an O of surprise. Unable to help himself he leaned down towards her and stole a quick kiss.

He felt her jerk against him, and remembered her admonishment of no kisses.

Moving his head back up, he tightened his hold on her again until she stopped moving and continued "By the time I came to Narnia I was a thoroughly nasty angry little boy. Wanting the attention, I thought deserved to be mine, wanting your adoration, wanting the others to acknowledge me to be the cleverest one, the one most deserving of everyone's but especially your love. When she found me".

Lucy knew the she Edmund referred to was the White Witch, Jadis.

"She whispered in my ear, encouraged my basest desires and ambitions. Soon I would be the favourite child, not you. Peter would bow down to me, Susan acknowledge my intelligence, and you would love me. Luckily, Aslan saved me" he paused to draw in a shuddering breath at the memory, and Lucy for the first time that night put her arms gently around him to hold him as he struggled to control his emotions.

"After that, everything seemed right. It was as if the mask had lifted from my eyes and I was free to love you all, and be loved by you. For years after I was so happy, and you all became the family I wanted, I needed. That ended for me the day you turned 14. I knew you were growing lovelier and lovelier with every passing year, but so of course, was Susan, it was nothing to think of I told myself, we were all of us growing up. I pushed the thoughts away to the back of my mind. I was your brother, your confidante and protector and that was to be enough for me. But the day you turned 14, Susan insisted on holding that stupid banquet do you remember? She said you had become a woman. Peter and I laughed at her, but we let her continue. And then when I saw you as you walked down the stairs into the hall on your own… I had expected you to be elaborately decked out, like Susan and the rest of the ladies - but you wore a simple white dress, your hair down, tucked behind your ears. But your smile… I thought then Susan was right and you had become a woman. I noticed the other men in the room begin to stand straighter, to look at you as I did and I felt jealousy, gut-wrenching jealousy grip me. I felt that certainty then; they could not have you, you were to be mine".

"I watched you closely after that, catalogued who you spoke to and for how long, whether they made you laugh. It came to a head the day you insisted on accompanying me on a ride into the Forest. Racing along beside me on your horse, your golden hair flying out behind you - I was so afraid I would seize you. Throw you down on the grass and take you as I had imagined so many times by that point. I cut the ride short, took us back to the Castle and shortly after that I left for the first time".

"To Archenland" Lucy interrupted breaking his reverie.

"Yes, my dearest" he said looking down at her "to Archenland, and to the court of King Lune. I was not an innocent by this point, I was a lad of 16, had tumbled with a couple of girls in the local village but by then I was desperate to put you out of my mind. I.." he paused to take an uneasy breath "I deliberately looked for opportunities to meet women. As many as possible. My favourites were yellow-haired girls with dreamy expressions and easy smiles. As you can imagine they were poor imitations of you. I am not proud of my actions, I encouraged young Corin who worshipped me at the time to join me in my pursuit of women. And for two young hormone-filled men, an easy lay seemed to be around every corner".

He could sense Lucy withdrawing from him, her body tensing against his, but he had to continue now, he had to tell her all.

"I was called back eventually to Cair Paravel and so I went. This time I thought it would be different, you would have no hold over me, I had rutted I had whored, I had got you out from my system. It only took one look at you on the steps waiting to greet me to disabuse me of that foolish notion. Months away had only increased your loveliness, apart from your beauty it is your goodness that shines from you Lucy, and is a magnet for me, a surly, dismal man such as I am. Perhaps because you chase the darkness from me, I cannot keep away from you".

She was so quiet now he could not tell what she was thinking, she only stared up at him, a slight furrow creasing her brow. Please don't run, he wanted to beg her. Saying it aloud, finally acknowledging his madness, his obsession with her over the years was both terrifying and also freeing. This is who I am, he was saying to her, he wanted to lay himself bare.

"I came and went then over the next few years. Staying until the sight of you, the nearness started to drive me to temptation. I wanted nothing more than to hold you when you were sad, laugh with you when you were happy, but to give in would have led to more I knew I could not stop. I know you thought me cold, unfeeling, but I could not be the brother you wanted and I had to protect you".

Edmund paused again, and sat them both down on the bed. The hour was late and he could feel waves of tiredness lapping at the edges of his consciousness. This conversation had been a long time coming, but he knew they would have to sleep soon.

"I saw you once bathing" he continued "last year, with the dryads. It was every fantasy I had of you come true. I knew then that my obsession could not be allowed to continue. I left after that, and I stayed away for a long time. That was when I met Frances. She was in a bad way, abandoned by those that should have been protecting her. She was different to the other women, she was more like a friend". Edmund knew his words were paining Lucy, but he had to continue. "We quickly stopped any sort of physical relationship, I found that what I wanted to do was talk with her. I wanted to talk to her about you. It helped to work through my feelings for you. I never mentioned you by name, but I think she knew. This time when I came back I had decided that enough was enough that I would let you live your life. That you could never know how I felt and that I would become the brother you needed, and then Peter told me you were to be wed to Corin for the sake of peace for Narnia. Corin who has by far exceeded me in acts of debauchery and other crimes and misdemeanours. I could not let it happen. It killed me to watch him with you, to think of someone like him taking your innocence, extinguishing that light behind your eyes with his lazy selfish arrogance. But even then I would have stood aside had you wanted it".

He looked down into Lucy's eyes, his arms around her held her closer and he felt her heart beating fast against his chest.

"But then you kissed me back, and I knew you wanted me too" he murmured to her, bending his head to hers "and you want this". He kissed her softly, feeling that same hot triumph and joy inside when she kissed him back just like when she had responded to him for the first time.

"Yes" Lucy replied pulling slightly away to look up at him. A smile began to pucker at the sides of her mouth, like the sun peeping out from behind storm clouds until it eventually swept across her whole face and happiness radiated from her. "Thank you for telling me" she said. It was the most Lucy had ever heard Edmund speak, and she knew what it had cost him to tell her the truth.

She drew him up then and underneath the covers shedding her dressing gown once again on the floor, curling at his side, her head resting against him, she shut her eyes against the first rays of the coming dawn and settled underneath the blankets.

She felt his arms come around her, and he pressed a tender kiss onto her head. She heard his breathing slow and she knew he was asleep.

She did not have to say I forgive you, or I love you. That conversation could come tomorrow. When battles had to be faced and wars fought. She knew he knew both of those things, and now she did too.

"Good night dearest" she whispered to him, and turning her cheek against his shoulder, she fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope the length and subject matter of this chapter make up for my long absence. These two…I love them so much. As ever let me know if you agree or disagree with the way this story is heading – always keen to hear how I can improve.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **A/N: A smut warning.**

The sun was high in the sky by the time Lucy awoke, alone in the room. Stretching for a moment in the bed she turned to look at the indentation next to her on the pillow, the only proof that Edmund had been there with her and spent the night. She ran her fingers over the dip where his head had lain, and bending forward placed a small kiss on the white cotton inhaling the smell of him still lingering. She supposed she should go and find the others and the Hermit and thank him in particular for his kindness, but most of all she wanted to see her brother, to hold him and tell him that she loved him.

A pile of neat clothes, Lucy's clothes, sat opposite her apparently washed and folded neatly on the chair next to the wardrobe. Amused but unsurprised by now, she quickly dressed reveling in the feel of clean fabric next to her skin and eager to find Edmund.

When entering the corridor back outside her room, a door lay open out of the cottage that Lucy knew had not been there last night. The odd sensation of magic lingering in the air tingled across her skin as she stepped out of the door into the enclosed garden looking around for Edmund. High trees and bushes hid some of the walls, and the serene beauty of the space calmed her eagerness as she breathed in the tranquility of the quiet space. Looking to her left past the cottage to the south-facing wall of the garden she spotted the dark head of Edmund talking to the Hermit, the midday sun shining brightly down on them both, and on the others; Corin, Ned and David, seated by her brother seemingly gazing down at something in front of them.

Making her way over to them her movement caught Edmund's attention and the momentary flare of fierce need on his face caused her to stumble as she felt her body shiver in response and anticipation. He quickly stilled his face to his usual inscrutable expression and beckoned Lucy over to where he was sitting, by the Hermit and the others on a rock ledge by a small but deep looking pool surrounded by green fronds. When she made to sit next to him, he pulled her onto his lap, kissing her hello. It was clear he would not hide his love for her anymore, and she felt his arm come around her waist to hold her tight against him.

"Continue" he motioned to the Hermit once Lucy was settled.

If the Hermit was surprised at Edmund's actions he did not show it and smiled a calm greeting at Lucy, enquiring first after her health and how she had slept. Lucy, still a little shy to be so publically claimed by her brother had responded blushingly keeping her eyes lowered and face averted from the others in the group lest their shock drive her from Edmund's lap.

The Hermit after a pause continued with the explanation that she must have interrupted. "Ask what you would like to see, and if it is the will of Aslan, the pool will show you"

"Anything? Anywhere?' Edmund asked sharply.

"There are limits, and there are exceptions" responded the Hermit with a chuckle "but only the pool knows what those are. Ask, and if you are lucky, you will be shown what you wish to see. But" and he paused "sometimes we see, what we do not always want to. Magic is not to be trifled with".

He made to rise from the rock, pulling himself slowly to his feet with his staff. Lucy was stunned at how much older he appeared today, his back was almost bent double, and his beard was now entirely white, instead of the salt and pepper streaks that she knew she had seen the previous night. Ned rushed forward to help him, and together the two made their way slowly into the Hermit's cottage.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked Edmund quietly, staring after the frail figure of the Hermit as he paused to catch his breath by the threshold of the cottage, leaning heavily on Ned's arm as the younger man helped him in.

"Using magic, particularly strong magic takes its toll" Edmund responded, his eyes also on the bent figure of the Hermit "that was no small feat to dispel our enemies yesterday".

The group sat somberly in remembrance and Lucy burrowed her head onto her brother's shoulder seeking his warmth and reassurance as she listened to the steady beat of his heart.

"Well, shall we?" asked Corin at last and somewhat impatiently. He was by now knelt by the pool staring into its dark depths. "He said we could ask it anything. Don't you see what this means?" rounding on Edmund "we can discover who our enemies are. We can now be one step ahead of them".

Lucy felt Edmund gently displace her so she was sat on the rock ledge. He stood, his hands on his hips, a dark shadow against Corin's eagerness. "I do not think it will be that easy" he said slowly, but waving an expansive hand in front of him continued "ask what you will".

That was all the permission Corin needed, and turning to bend his sandy head over the water he whispered, insistently, keenly "show me how we can win".

The pool remained dark and still, no ripple disturbed its surface and no vision appeared in its murky depths.

Corin hit the water hard with his fist in annoyance. "Maybe that was too difficult. Show me my father".

Again nothing happened at first, and then a slight wave crested the surface only to settle when it reached the middle of the water. Nothing appeared.

Corin swore in anger "the Hermit is a liar. This shows us nothing".

"Maybe you are asking the wrong questions" observed Edmund sardonically his arms folded.

"Fine then if you are so clever, Edmund the Just, please be my guest" Corin rose with a mock-bow moving out of the way so he could move closer.

Sighing in annoyance, Edmund walked to the edge of the pool. He stared down for a long time into its depths, saying nothing but evidently thinking.

"Please show us Rabadash, we must know if he plots against Narnia".

A small whirlpool began in the centre of the pool, spiraling out until it reached the edge splashing water over Edmund's leather boots. A ledge of water rose up out of the vortex in the middle, still and blue the colour of cornflowers, of Lucy's eyes Edmund thought absently. A picture began to appear in the flat surface of the water, the colours melding and separating as lines and forms began to take shape.

A dark handsome figure appeared in the water, dressed ornately in rich golds and crimson reds, he was striding about a room evidently talking to someone behind him. Watching, the group saw him wrench his ivory turban from his head and threw it across the room in a fury. No sound issued from the water, but despite the stillness Edmund could tell Rabadash was in the grip of frenzied madness, his hands were raking his dark hair into spikes. He watched as the Prince of Calormen shouted silently at the unseen figure to his right, and then turned to kick at a servant who was attempting to rescue the turban from the floor.

David knelt down beside the pool, his freckled face looked white. He whispered "Why is this taking so long? If I do not have that barbarian witch in my bed a week hence I shall raze their city, destroy their kingdom, kill every last man, woman and child until she is mine". Every exclamation was coupled with a kick at the servant who by now was cowered by Rabadash's feet.

"You can lip-read?" Edmund asked staring down at David.

He nodded, continuing white-faced and trembling "I will teach her the consequences of her actions, I will kill her brothers and sister in front of her, pull out their intestines, poke out their eyes, burn their foul bodies. I will break her and I will have her".

Lucy felt herself turning to retch as Edmund clenched his fists and Corin swore kicking the water and displacing the vision, just as the person Rabadash was talking to started to appear.

Edmund grabbed Corin by the collar and pulled him away but it was too late, the picture had gone.

"Fool!" he said pushing Corin back harshly.

"What does it matter?" replied Corin sneeringly, pushing past Edmund "we know he is angry, we know he doesn't know of our mission now. We know he intends to kill us all".

He strode off in an evident huff and made towards the cottage. David stood slowly as Lucy came up beside Edmund to put her arm around him.

"We could try again?" she said softly to him.

Edmund shook his head calmly "no, Corin is right about that".

"Come David, I need you to check our provisions" and with a small kiss to Lucy he walked over to where the horse was currently grazing in the far-corner of the garden, followed by an anxious-looking David.

Lucy feeling incredibly weary sat down cross-legged to stare into the depths of the dark pool. She idly trailed a hand through the cool water and thought back to happier times, the summer before last. _The four of them together on the Narnian coast-line; Edmund and Peter mock play-fighting in the sand, Susan stretched out sun-bathing, Lucy lying beside her reading._

 _"Boys" Susan had said dismissively, sweeping her long dark hair over her shoulder and pulling the straps of her bathing suit down as she turned onto her front._

 _A moment later she was up and screaming at an unrepentant Edmund who had thrown a bucketful of salty seawater on her back. Holding up her swimming costume she chased after him threatening him with torture as Peter had caught her about the waist to hold her back, and Lucy had laughed until she thought she would burst._

She missed them so much, Susan in particular, proud and wilful and Lucy's best friend. The thought of Rabadash touching her, hurting her sister made Lucy's blood run cold, the anger building inside her.

"He won't have you" she whispered quietly to the pool. "I will save you. I hope you are happy now dearest, I miss you so much"

Suddenly a ripple appeared in the water flowing from Lucy's hand and swirling into the centre of the pool. Waves crested, and a ledge of water began to form again, an image contained within.

It was Susan, even more beautiful than Lucy remembered, looking pensive, staring out from the balcony of her room. Her chin resting on her hand as she gazed out across Narnia. Turning she said something to the person behind her unseen in her room, her maid Lucy assumed, and wished desperately she could hear her sister.

The wind whipped Susan's dark hair into a dance, the long strands twisting and twirling in the breeze and she turned to face the countryside again, her expression sad Lucy thought.

A figure then appeared behind her, a man. He wrapped his arms around Susan's waist, turning her and captured her lips in a kiss. He was tall and well-built, his golden head contrasted with her dark hair, as he pulled her closer to him. Raising his head at last he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead as he held her.

"Peter?" whispered Lucy disbelievingly.

All of a sudden she became aware of Corin walking towards her followed by Edmund who must have seen him crossing the garden. In a panic she splashed at the image and watched it dissolve with a sense of foreboding. There was no time to think about the implications of what she'd seen, should she tell Edmund? A quick look at his sardonic sarcastic gaze directed at Corin made her want to keep the information to herself until she had time to figure out what it meant.

Edmund gave her a hand to pull her to her feet and the trio turned as the Hermit emerged from his cottage, and Ned and David who had been talking by the wall also followed close behind him.

"You leave us tomorrow?" said the Hermit to Edmund as soon as he got close enough.

He hesitated looking down at Lucy and then the others "yes, we must. Thank you for your hospitality and for saving us". He gave the Hermit a crooked smile "we would have been lost without you. But we must press on with our mission".

"Dark forces surround you Edmund the Just, and you Lucy the Valiant" said the Hermit somberly looking at them "I fear this will not end well".

"She has me to protect her" said Corin stepping forward on Lucy's other side, his face fierce, his hand seeking and grasping hers. And for a moment Lucy saw her brave companion from the summer, her one-time friend, honest and true.

But the moment ended, and Edmund pulled her towards him and out of Corin's grip "I will protect us" he said. He looked round then at Ned and David "I will protect all of you".

The brothers nodded at Edmund soberly as the apprehension lay thick and heavy in the air.

"Come" said the Hermit breaking the silence "I will prepare our supper, if I might have some help?" he asked mildly looking towards Corin, still fixed with a sullen expression on his face. The Archenland prince shrugged and followed the Hermit into the cottage.

Lucy felt some of the tension leave her as Corin walked away and sagged back against Edmund, she felt his arm hold her steady against his side, and his mouth in her hair as he kissed her tenderly. Looking up she saw that intense light in his eyes that seemed to shine only for her, and as his fingers splayed at her waist holding her closer still, she knew the hunger he had for her that never seemed to be die had awoken.

"I have something to discuss with my sister, we shall join you shortly" Edmund said to the brothers never taking his eyes from Lucy and in a tone which brooked no argument. He took her hand and pulled her into the door of the cottage and through into the room they had slept in the night before.

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind them he was on her, pulling her towards him with frantic force, his lips parting hers, his tongue thrust in. He had her up against the door, his hand pulling her shirt down to caress her breasts.

"Lucy" he murmured into her mouth, his hips grinding his manhood against her.

She whimpered in response, his touch electric she was immediately on fire for him. He lifted her slightly so she was resting against him, her legs parted as he rubbed against her, he groaned again feeling her wet heat through the fabric.

"They'll be waiting for us" Lucy cried, wrenching her mouth from his as she fought to control her desire.

"Let them wait", his hands were hurriedly pulling her trousers down from her legs, her shirt over her head, his fingers thrusting up inside her, crying out as he felt how wet she was for him. Lucy whimpered moving instinctively against his hand grinding herself down onto his palm.

"You think you can wait for this?" he asked her mockingly, unbuttoning himself and drawing her hand to his cock. Hissing as she slid her hand up and down his length.

All of a sudden he withdrew his fingers and pushed her up hard against the door, as he knelt before her pushing her legs apart. His mouth was upon her, sucking and licking until she stuffed her hand in her mouth to hide her screams. He felt her come apart against his lips, and pulled her quickly down so she was lying on the floor. With one sudden movement he thrust up inside her, sheathing himself fully in her wet heat.

"There will be no more waiting" he said roughly, moving within her.

"Oh God!" Lucy cried, her muscles stretching at the exquisite feel of him.

"I'll not have you think of anyone else while I am within you" he teased her "not even he". He pushed into her again hard. "The feel of you" he hissed as he felt her walls shudder and clench as he drove himself in again and again.

"I could have you constantly for a year and a day and it would not be enough" he told her, his movements becoming more rapid.

He captured her hand as she moved to hold it over her mouth to contain her screams. "Make all the noise you want. Let them know that I'm having you, that you're mine". He bucked into her again fiercely.

"Come for me my darling". He felt her walls contract and clutch at him, as she cried out in ecstasy, her head thrown back, her orgasm setting him off as he shuddered and emptied himself inside her, his body juddering against her. Finished he moved himself off from her so as not to crush her with his weight, and placing one arm underneath her legs and another under her shoulders he lifted her gently to place her on the bed. Lucy still floating in delirium felt weightless, happiness suffusing her entire being. As he placed her on top of the bed, he snuggled up against her, lifting her to drape her across his body, one arm cradled beneath her, wrapped around her waist.

Lucy finally felt herself float back to earth, her body becoming aware of Edmund's, curves and softness against warm muscled flesh. He was stroking a tender hand across her hair drawing it back from her face so he could kiss her forehead. Lucy tilted her head to gaze up at him, into his dark blue eyes, the love that she saw there for her humbled and filled her. She answered it with a smile that grew and reflected the love she saw. Reaching up, she drew his head down towards her placing a soft kiss against his lips, delighting as he began to respond to her.

The kisses began slow again but the fire soon followed, the thrust of Edmund's tongue in her mouth echoed his fingers circling her clit and slipping inside her. Her moans he captured in his mouth, tasted them and claimed them for his own. Pushing her onto her back he trailed kisses down her body stopping at her breasts to worship her nipples, suckling and nipping at them as she arched up against him.

The knock on the door startled them both.

"Lucy, supper?" they heard Corin ask outside the door, pointedly ignoring what he knew was Edmund's presence in the room.

Edmund eyed his sister mischievously and slid down her body until he was in front of her core, spreading her he dipped his tongue against her and began to take long deep strokes as she struggled to reply to Corin.

"I am not….not very hungry…just now" she whimpered, and then bucking off the bed as Edmund moving back up entered her, his expression fierce as he gazed down at her, moving inside her.

"You are mine" he told her, claiming her lips roughly with his, moving desperately against her.

"Lucy?" Corin knocked again.

"Aslan's mane" Edmund cursed, withdrawing from Lucy and flinging himself off the bed in a rage, he cracked the door open an inch keeping his lower body hidden behind the door and ensuring the bed and his woman were still concealed.

"Lucy told you, we are sleeping. Get lost".

"Lucy?" called Corin again attempting to peer round the door.

Edmund let it open an inch more exposing his nakedness to his former friend. He watched Corin's eyes widen as they took in Edmund's body and obvious arousal. Edmund cocked an eyebrow at Corin, and donned his most haughty expression. To his surprise Corin said nothing, but merely looked satisfied as he turned around and walked away from the door.

Edmund turned to look at Lucy now sat up in the bed, her golden hair tumbling around her face and shoulders, her lips swollen with his kisses, and a worried frown creasing her forehead. Forgetting his anger at Corin's interruption, he closed the door and moved back towards her to claim her once again. Her kisses and caresses soothing him until all he could think of was her.

* * *

Dawn came all too soon, and the two dragged themselves exhausted from the bed to continue their journey. Edmund had been at Lucy most of the night, as soon as they had coupled wanting nothing more than to be inside her again. Eventually she had lain back eyes shut drained and weary from their activities, and Edmund contented himself with lapping at her, bringing her to orgasm again and again as she gazed down at him with love. Stopping now and again to pull her to him, over him as he whispered his love for her tenderly holding her.

Despite his tiredness Edmund was ecstatic, everything he wanted seemed within his grasp – she loved him, she wanted him, a future in which he did not picture himself a monster seemed possible. Of course there was still the small matter of a war to avert, and Narnia to save, but surely those were small drops in the ocean compared to the battle for Lucy's heart? He took her hand as they stepped out of the cottage into the light and onwards on their quest.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **A/N: Apologies for the delay in updating. I just want to address some points kindly raised about the story – Lucy might seem a bit submissive to Edmund and perhaps not true to the Lucy of Lewis's Narnia or even your own imagination which I think is completely fair. I think she's based to an extent on the uncertainty I felt as a teenage girl about my body and sexuality, and I hope as the story grows she does too. She is young and I don't believe it to be realistic to have her take control of the situation just yet. However, I would not want for anyone to take away from this story that it is a man's right to dictate what happens to your body – your body is your own and you are the only one that gets to decide what happens to it. Very happy to talk more about this just let me know – and now on with the story.**

* * *

Hardly a breeze stirred the fetid air hot and oppressive in the opulent gardens of the Tisroc. A small child stood manfully wafting a palm leaf above his Lord eddying the hot currents in an attempt to cool him, and ignoring the scene taking place on the pink satin divan before him.

Prince Rabdash lay naked - prostate beneath the fan - his honeyed brown skin coated with a fine layer of sweat, a sneer on his handsome face as he regarded the woman crouched over him her black hair snaking around his hips tickling his belly. Glancing up at him she looked terrified to have caught his eye and dove down upon him again - this time making enthusiastic noises in the back of her throat to convey her arousal at the task before her. Chosen because she bore a passing resemblance to the barbarian Queen, Rabadash pictured her in his mind. Her hair the colour of ebony but the feel of it like cool silk rippling down her back, eyes such a dark indigo as to appear almost black beneath delicate slanted eyebrows. Her skin like shimmering porcelain, so fine and clear he could trace the blue veins running beneath. And as for her body…a sigh escaped him at the memory of her in his hands, the first and only time he had held her, before the touch of him outraged her and had her running from him.

The slave girl feeling she was at last getting somewhere reached a hand up to caress his chest thus shattering Rabadash's fantasy and reminding him how very far away Susan still was from him. With a sudden swift movement, he pushed her off him tipping her hard onto the marble floor ignoring her pained gasp.

"Get rid of her" he said to the guards, stationed at the entrance to the garden and well used to their Prince's moods had moved to his side the second he had sat up.

Grasping the girl under her arms they hauled her to her feet and pulled her out of the perfumed garden.

"Please my Prince have mercy" she cried as they bundled her away and out of his sight.

Settling himself back amongst the cushions Rabadash took himself in hand and returned to the pleasant image of Susan lying before him, in awe of him, submitting to him.

The slave boy despite his tender years was no fool and made sure to keep his eyes ahead of him and movement of the fan even, as his Prince twisted and writhed on the divan crying Susan's name and the promises of what he was going to do to her.

* * *

The lady in question was at that moment indulging in a pleasurable pursuit of her own and her dark tormentor was far from her thoughts. She carefully threaded the arrow through the string of her bow and took aim.

"Further!" she called to Aran her manservant as he sighing moved the target to an impossibly far place down the field.

"You'll never reach it my Lady" scoffed King Lune stood next to her, his own bow cocked, courteously waiting for her to shoot (and fail) first.

Susan simply smirked, straightened her shoulders, honed her vision until there was nothing she could see but the target and let her arrow loose. It flew straight and true hitting the bullseye and shattering her previous arrow already notched in the centre.

"Well I'll be" exclaimed Lune as she turned smiling gently at him.

"My Lord" she gestured for him to take his shot.

With a cough and a shake of his shoulders, King Lune let his arrow fly. It missed the target by a yard almost ploughing into an indignant Aran as he glared up the field at his mistress after first diving hastily out of the way.

Susan smothered a laugh behind her hand "Oh dear, perhaps the wind knocked the arrow off path, I do believe I felt a gust just then"

"Ah yes, I too" agreed Lune hurriedly, and then with a look at Susan's polite but mocking face made his excuses and returned to the castle.

Laughing she drew up her bow to shoot again, never feeling so free so in charge of her own destiny with her graceful weapon in her hands.

"That was wicked Su" came a low voice at her ear, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. Turning she glanced quickly at King Lune still on the path to the Castle, but he did not look back at her.

"Relax" said Peter in her ear resting his chin on her shoulder "a brother is allowed to be affectionate with his sister" and he kissed her cheek softly.

"Is that affection I can feel poking my back?" she asked tartly, and shook him off to position herself again to shoot.

Hitting the target once again she allowed herself a small smile of victory. Lune was a fool to challenge her, her bowmanship was legendary in Narnia but she knew the bluff old King's sort, he would never believe a woman equal to a man unless it was proven to him before his eyes. The two of them had been shooting together all afternoon and she had best him at every turn, she only wished she had placed some money on the outcome now, although betting was not a seemly activity for a Queen, but she thought sadly it would have been something Lucy would have suggested doing. How she would have crowed with delight at Lune's failure, never one to hide her feelings she would have laughed until she cried and she would have shouted about Susan's triumph all over the Castle. Susan missed her terribly.

Peter, so like Lucy in colouring, smiled tenderly down at her. He knew how she missed their sister, just as he missed Edmund and his counsel. The four of them together were a formidable team, had beaten the White Queen and rescued Narnia. They would win against their enemies again he vowed.

He took Susan's hand and led her up to the Castle. Their affair had begun a long-time ago in secret but was feeling more and more necessary these days to help comfort each-other through the darkest times of their reign. Although both were very careful in public he found himself more and more slipping through the secret passageways to her room to hold her at night whilst they spoke of their younger siblings and wished desperately to have them both safe at home with them in Narnia.

* * *

There was no-where Lucy would have rather been at that moment but back in Narnia, sitting on the cool marble steps, sketchpad in hand and looking out over the beautiful countryside. Instead endless sand lay before her, arid and stifling despite the setting of the sun. The scarf drawn up and across her mouth only served to keep out the worst of it, but she still felt it crusted around her eyelashes, in her nostrils, her eyebrows, irritating her eyes.

They had been travelling for a week now after leaving the Hermit across the Great Desert. Edmund had insisted on their taking a circuitous route to avoid detection despite the urgency of their quest. They were dressed as merchants, Edmund and Corin had darkened their skin, and in Corin's case hair with dyes from the Hermit. The brothers – Ned and David, and Lucy however would not have been able to make such a disguise work. Both brothers were beanpoles, far too tall to convince as anything other than Narnians, and they as well as Lucy had bright blue eyes which never would have fit with the ruse Edmund had planned. He had eventually settled on the brothers as hired Narnian mercenaries to guard their wagons which the Hermit had somehow produced for them before they left, and Lucy an Archenlander slave, his, to be precise. The entire group were clad in light cotton robes, scarfs and turbans wrapped around their faces to protect them from the desert. They should, according to Edmund's map, be only a day's journey now from reaching Tashbaan.

They had been following an old trade route and on the way had met with other traders journeying to and from Archenland. The Hermit had provided them with an abundance of quartz and other natural minerals to sell, common to parts of Narnia, such stones were valued highly in Calormen where they were used as decoration. Edmund had reflected in grim amusement to himself that should all else fail, there was a career to be made in selling cut-price rocks to the eager Calormese. Still it pained him to make a profit from Narnia's natural resources, and he wished, not for the first time, that this hellish quest was over with and himself and Lucy back in Narnia.

Looking back at her seated in the entrance to the wagon; despite her dusty robes, the grit from the sand smeared across her face, her upright bearing portrayed her fierce determination to see this quest through and he felt immensely proud of her. Young as she was, inexperienced as she had been to the rigors and boredom of this kind of warfare, she never once complained but took on every hardship with good grace. Corin could take a lesson from her book, he thought sourly looking at the Archenland prince riding on the horse beside him. The sweltering heat and dry humidity had affected them all, but Corin had taken every opportunity to demand they stop, had ploughed through their water supplies, had Lucy fanning him when he insisted he felt faint. Edmund only allowed his histrionics because they were so close now to completing their mission, he could not afford for one of Corin's tantrums to put their assignment in danger. And so he bit his tongue, but noted every request the younger man made of Lucy, every whine and whimper and promised himself that there would be a future reckoning with him.

On the horizon another group of caravans appeared in the shimmering heat. Edmund held up his hand but said nothing, knowing that his signal would put the group on red-alert. The brothers who were leading the other wagon brought it in closer to Edmund's, and he watched the men surreptitiously draw their swords so they lay concealed under their robes but ready should they be needed. He did not need to look round to know Lucy would have her bow and arrows now placed just behind her, and her dagger drawn.

The group approaching slowed down and Edmund counted four caravans to their two, ten men in total were either driving the wagons or riding on horses as protection around them. Edmund did not for a moment let fear flicker across his face but pasted his most friendly smile across his face as the other group drew near.

"Greetings friends" he called jovially as soon as they were within earshot.

"Greetings" returned the bearded man who sat on the first horse in front of the caravans. Edmund judged him to be in his late forties, the crinkles around his eyes indicated a sense of humour, but the stillness of his body set alarm bells ringing in Edmund's head. "Do you journey from the north?" he enquired of Edmund casually who pretended not to see his hand tightening on the handle of his scimitar.

"Yes, we have replenished ourselves and now are set to Tashbaan and the court of the Tisroc may he live forever".

At the sound of the Calormese emperor's name, the bearded man turned and spat into the sand.

Corin started forward, and he heard Lucy behind him draw in a breath. If they were true Calormese traders than what the bearded man had just done was tantamount to treason, and they were well within their rights to kill him for his blasphemy. Edmund held up a hand to stay the others "careful friend" he said, his voice low "you play a dangerous game".

The bearded man smiled at him "aren't all games dangerous?" he replied.

"Taruth" came a whisper behind him from Lucy using his agreed-upon merchant name.

Immediately the bearded man's eyes flickered to her, and Edmund saw them appraise her. He felt blood rush to his ears. He would kill this man where he stood if he but made one move towards her. Turning the man caught the look of anger upon Edmund's face, he seemed even more amused.

"Yours?"

"Yes" replied Edmund curtly.

The man chuckled "forgive me, it is rare to see such beauty bloom in this endless sand. I had half forgotten what it looked like. My name is Ashir and we have just journeyed from Tashbaan. A waste of a trip no?" he called to his men behind him who agreed with mutterings and curses. "Please excuse our rudeness, you see we were turned away from the palace with no explanation despite the materials we bring, requested for by Prince Rabadash himself. It seems someone within the palace decided we were not fit to sell our wares after all, and now we must make what deal we can with them".

Edmund nodded at his explanation "a shame, but the will of our masters is not to question"

Ashir smirked "Be that as it may. We are practical business men, and I must tell you all traders to Tashbaan and to the palace are now looked upon with suspicion. It seems they are waiting for some special traders in particular".

Here he turned to look behind Edmund again at Lucy who instead of lowering her eyes as a slave-girl should glared defiantly back at him. Ashir barked with laughter "come let us stop and eat together, the sun sets and we will do well to swap stories".

Feeling the situation unravelling from his control Edmund looked behind him at his sister who offered him a small smile and then at Ashir's men, double the number he had, and decided he could not take the risk to Lucy's life.

"A wonderful idea friend" he said with no trace of irony to his voice and dismounting from his horse gestured for Ned and David to help him set up camp.

"You do not ask your woman to do this?" questioned Ashir with surprise to see the men laying out provisions for a camp.

"She serves me better in other ways" replied Edmund shortly as Lucy came up to him and handed him the pot for the fire.

"I am sure" laughed Ashir, and Edmund felt the need to kill him flow through him again. Breathing heavily, he walked away to Ned who was unpacking the food from one of the wagons.

"Watch him, and watch Lucy. She is the priority, I want no harm to come to her here, understood?"

Ned gave a small nod, and took the bag of rice towards the pot and the fire.

Edmund felt a small hand slip into his, looking down he found himself lost in the blueness of her eyes. "Be careful" she whispered and squeezed his hand.

"I want you away from all of them and waiting in the wagon" he told her quietly.

"No I want to be with you"

"Lucy, as my slave it is what you must do for appearance sake, please. It is either that or have you serve us, and I won't allow it, I don't trust them".

She huffed a little, but withdrew her hand from his and turned to make her way back to the wagon.

He caught her back to him, and uncaring for their audience, for Ned and David, for Corin's speculative gaze, he kissed her hard, and then let her go so quickly she stumbled away looking shocked.

"Ha!" Ashir cried stepping up to Edmund and clapping his hand across his shoulders "a beauty, no doubt about it. I don't suppose you'd sell her to me?"

"I'd sooner sell you my mother" Edmund replied, his mouth smiling, his eyes not.

Ashir appeared not to have noticed and laughing walked across to the fire, now welcome as the night began to settle upon the desert.

The meal finished and the men sated one of Ashir's men pulled a short ivory flute from his bag as the others settled back to listen to him play. The song was unfamiliar to Edmund but it spoke to him of wanderers lost in the wilderness searching for home, of proud men yearning for peace, it stirred and unsettled him in equal measure and he bit his tongue to stop the tears that he knew were threatening to stir from beneath the surface. It would never do for him to weep in front of his men, let alone this strange group, weakness was an indulgence he could ill afford. However, glancing up and around the circle he found the others equally affected; Corin was staring down into the sand his face miserable his hands clenched in fists, David was turned away looking out into the desert and Edmund saw the tale-tale shine of tear tracks upon his face. Ashir's men were equally somber, quiet and reflective gazing into the fire, it was only Ashir himself who appeared unsusceptible and was staring at Edmund with a small enigmatic smile upon his lips.

As the song ended the mood broke, and the chatter began once more around the fire.

"We call that one 'A Life's regrets'" observed Ashir standing to make his way over to where Edmund was sat before lowering himself onto the ground next to the younger man.

"Delightful" said Edmund acerbically and took a drink of the warm soured goats milk Ashir's men had shared with them.

"A life lived to it's fullest potential, must have regrets do you not agree?" said Ashir his dark eyes crinkling in amusement. "How would we know that we had achieved anything if we regretted nothing?"

Edmund said nothing but looked out again over the group.

"Where will you travel to next?" he asked.

"We had thought to travel North to try our luck with the royal courts, but I think the winds call us back South now. Perhaps we will accompany you on your journey to Tashbaan".

"I thank you for the offer but we prefer to travel in small numbers. Besides our journey is pressing and we have many orders to fulfil before we return home"

"You do not speak like a merchant Taruth" observed Ashir with a smile watching the young king closely as he forced himself to relax.

"I suppose it is because I came to this trade late" he replied easily "I was a soldier trained before this"

"Ah yes, that was obvious to me from the beginning. The way you hold yourself, you and your men" with a look around the group "even your slave girl has a military bearing about her" he chuckled.

"Perhaps she has spent too long in our company" Edmund pushed himself to say and pretended not to see Ashir's smirk. "And now if you will excuse me, I must attend to my woman" rising to his feet and ignoring the catcalls of Ashir's men.

"But of course" the older man replied giving him a slap on the back "please be sure to…wish her well from me".

Spine stiff Edmund strode away from the campfire and the whistles of the men to Lucy. Ned as promised was stationed outside the wagon, chewing upon his share of the dinner. With a nod to Edmund he vacated his seat and walked towards the others.

Climbing up into the wagon, Edmund pulled the flaps of the material aside and entered. Lucy was lying on her back, her plate of food beside her untouched as she read one of the small number of books the Hermit had lent them for their journey.

"Edmund" she cried sitting up. He held a finger to his lips and settled himself down beside her on the cushions.

"How are you?" he whispered in her ear.

"Fine. Bored" she whispered back. "When can we leave?"

"Not until early tomorrow now, it will appear suspicious otherwise"

"Oh pooh to suspicion" she said irritably, ignoring his grin. "So what do we do now?" and then "Edmund!" in a shocked undertone at his suggestive raised eyebrows.

"You act as if this is something new for us…" he trailed off provocatively, a hand slipping under her robes to caress her thigh. It was true, they had made love every night of the journey, quietly and tenderly in contrast to the fierce coupling in the Hermit's house. Sometimes Lucy half suspected he was drawing out the journey to have more alone time with her.

"But not with an audience of brigands outside" she said firmly removing his hand from her leg.

"Well I'm not sure Lune would agree but that is a fairly accurate description of his son yes"

Lucy snorted before she could help herself, and then sighed as Edmund captured her face and kissed her softly. He lay her down underneath him and gently pressed kisses on her face, her eyes, nose and finally mouth.

"At least let me see you" he said smilingly to her, and began the long task of unwrapping her robes. Lucy sat up so that he might have easier access and let him undress her until she was bare. She watched him stare at her body, his eyes tracing the curves of her, shivering at the intensity of his gaze. No longer shy at being naked in front of her brother, she felt the power that comes from being adored, her body worshipped, and she stretched herself out, crossing one leg over another at the knee, pointing her toe in the air.

"Now you" she said directing him with her foot and almost laughing at the eagerness with which he divested himself of his tunic and trousers.

Naked before her he began to kneel over her to begin his usual seductive assault on her womanhood, but she placed her foot on his shoulder stopping her.

"No" she whispered, and then again more firmly "no", as his hand had crept forward to intimately stroke her. "I told you, not with them outside".

"But darling this is what they expect from us here. They would be suspicious if there were no sounds coming from in here at all…"

"I care not, I am not sharing our love with them".

Amused but disappointed, Edmund lay himself down next to her and took her in his arms. "It is enough that you are here with me" he told her and draped her on top of him avoiding his erection "do not mind that, it will go away…eventually".

She gave a small snort of laughter, and curling into his side settled down to sleep.

* * *

Edmund came awake with a start to see Ashir stood over him a sword pointed at his throat. Lucy was still asleep nestled into his side, her head on his shoulder, her body restricting his movements.

For a long moment neither man said anything, Edmund felt his heart in his throat, the bloody thundering through his ears, _protect her, save her,_ the only thoughts running through his mind.

"Apologies for disturbing your sleep Edmund the Just" said Ashir with an enigmatic smile.

The Narnian King felt his eyes widen, and then with a swift movement sat up and drew a blanket over Lucy. The sword tip followed him as he rose to his feet.

"You are mistaken" he replied his hands wide and placating.

"I think not. And this beauty is of course your sister, Lucy the Valiant".

Edmund felt his blood run cold, "you will not touch her" he spat.

Ashir chuckled then "Please, you do me dishonor. I have no interest in what you and your sister do or are to each-other. My concern is only you, Lord Pevensie".

He lowered his sword then. And knelt before the naked Narnian King "I offer my sword and my loyalty to you King Edmund" and presented the curved blade of the scimitar to the young king.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for now. Thoughts always welcome. Until next time…**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **'To find fault is easy, to do better may be difficult'**

 **Plutarch**

* * *

The silence thrummed throughout the wagon, hot and heavy in the stifling chamber. Ashir kept his face down, his arms outstretched as he offered his sword to the naked man before him. Edmund observed the fine tremors in the older man's arms as he fought to keep them steady, but Ashir said nothing more and waited for the king's command.

Edmund knew the man before him would not speak, would not move until he said something, but he was curious as to how far he could push him. He walked in a circle around the kneeling man observing him, unembarrassed of his nakedness.

He could stay silent no longer. "Why?" he burst out.

At last Ashir raised his head "may I tell you a story sire?" His cryptic smile fixed upon his face.

Edmund flung himself on top of a chest in the wagon and crossed one leg over the the other, elegantly waving his hand at Ashir at continue, looking for all the world if he was at a garden party at Cair Paravel. Not unclothed in a dusty wagon, whilst his sister slept at his feet, and a strange man from a strange land had presented him with his sword.

Standing up, Ashir made his way over to where Edmund was sat and pulled a stool to sit opposite him.

"A small ignorant boy knows nothing of the matters of the world. Thinks only of his belly, has he had enough to eat? How can he trick his mama into giving him more food?"

"Is this going to be a long story?" interrupted Edmund, "I do hope not. Long stories for their own sake bore me".

Ashir smiled "It is my story sire, and I can tell it no other way".

Edmund sighed and signaled for him to continue. Though his apparent languidness gave the impression of an impatient indolent aristocrat, he was quietly marking the routes out of the wagon, listening for sounds of movement outside and noting the location of his weapons.

"A small idle boy occupies himself with adventures, he travels beyond the borders of his village, to the river at the edge of the brush. It is said demons live there, that to enter you must give something of yourself. But it is also said great treasures lie in the scrub for the man who is brave enough to take them. I was not a man, but a wilful child. Spoiled and neglected in equal measure. I thought myself braver and cleverer than all those who had come before me. I entered the forbidden ground, and what do you think I found sire?"

Edmund shrugged one shoulder impatiently, his eyes on his slumbering sister, rosy and angelic still in hushed sleep.

" _He_ was waiting for me". Ashir paused and looked at Edmund for once his face grave.

"Him?"

"You know who he is sire".

Edmund drew in a breath "describe him to me" he said sharply.

Ashir gave a chuckle "how does one describe a god? Foolish. One had better try and describe the colour of air, the sound of music played. You cannot describe what is impossible. I tell you I saw him, but I did not see him, I knew him. And he knew me. He 'appeared' shall we say when I had found the tall spider tree in the middle of the brush, looming above the rest of his neighbours, I knew the tree to be, how do you say?...magic"

Edmund gave an imperceptible snort at Ashir's supposed fumbling use of language. The man was entirely fluent in English Edmund knew. Though he might try to hide his roots, to portray his background as that of a poor boy from a tiny village in Calormen in the middle of no-where, Edmund recognised a man born and trained for war. Taught from a young age skills a commander might need for battle, and for diplomacy…

"I climbed the tree to the very top, you know of course, how young boys like to climb trees. And what do you suppose I found?"

Ashir continued his story when it became apparent Edmund would not say reply, "I saw the land before me as my father and his worked on all their lives all the way back to the start of man. A dusty yellow land, reaching far and wide. But there shimmering in the distance was verdant green, a colour I had never seen before. It spoke of life, the creation of life, and I vowed as a child to find that green land at once. I began to climb down the tree in great excitement eager to begin my quest, when my foot caught on a branch, I am not sure, but I began to fall. Tumbling down, hitting branches on the way. I was still a long way up, and if I could have thought what was to happen next - if I had not been so consumed with pair and terror - I would have thought myself about to die. But I did not, as you see before you. When I awoke, I was on the ground but not. Cradled hovering above the earth in light. And I felt it then, I felt him then. He did not speak to me that time."

Almost without noticing Edmund had sat forward leaning towards Ashir unwilling to miss any of his story.

"Eventually the light disappeared and I ran out of the brush faster than I have ever run before. Lucky to be alive, thinking no more of the green land. But a boy's memory is short and his thirst for knowledge grows. Within a week I was back in the brush, exploring, looking for the light, the man. And I found him King Edmund".

Ashir sat back with a delighted smile, noting Edmund had dropped the lazy façade and was sat upright on the chest, alert as a greyhound, his eyes fixed upon the man before him; a muscle ticked in his jaw.

"Continue" he said abruptly.

"I felt his presence as soon as I entered the brush, he was behind me, surrounding me. He did not speak but I felt him watch me. Not in a sinister way you understand, more as a friend. He wanted me to know that he was there with me. I reached the spider tree again and sat myself at the foot of it. I laid out the sweetmeats and wine I had stolen from my mother's kitchen on a blanket on the dirt, and I waited for him. For hours I sat and I did not speak. It was perhaps the longest time I had been still, I was, and still am, very impatient. As the darkness began to settle I knew my mother would be calling me soon, so I reluctantly gathered the food and made to leave, when a lamb stepped out of the bushes towards me. But not like any lamb I had ever seen before, it's wool was of the purest white, iridescent in the dusk, it's eyes large and gentle, and it smiled at me. 'Welcome child' it said, it's voice going through me, thrilling every nerve in my body".

Ashir paused to take a sip of water from the pouch.

"You do not ask of course, how an animal may speak…I have heard tales of the talking animals that frequent your lands…but for us, our animals have no voice, no thoughts; I was astonished, frightened. Although I felt the lamb's kindness towards me, his love for me. I threw myself at his feet and bowed before him, as I would prostate myself before statues of Lord Tash in our temples. But he bid me rise and sit with him. And as the darkness fell, and fireflies lit the air around us he spoke to me of a world beyond my simple village, of adventures sought and people waiting to be helped, by me. He asked me if I would come back and learn from him. As you may imagine, it was the most excited, the most fired-up I had ever been in my young life. I agreed immediately, and rushed back through the scrub to my home. I knew how to be stealthy and sneaked in, inside I found my nanny almost frantic looking for me, she had been about to report me missing to my parents and feared for her position. Filled with a sense of my own importance, I laughed at her and was unkind to her. I dismissed her from my presence and thought no more about it.

The next morning when I awoke, she was not at my side waiting to dress me and feed me. In fact, she had left during the night. My parents were outraged that she would leave with no explanation, but I knew in my heart it was my actions that had caused her to vanish; a spoilt, difficult child and she was only still very young herself she must not have been able to bear it much longer. That was the first time I learnt about the consequences of my actions, and sadly, it has not been the last".

Ashir paused to take a drink and surreptitiously watch Edmund from beneath his beetled brows. The young king was regarding him with a slight frown, his gaze intent but he sat quietly waiting for Ashir to resume his story.

"I returned as soon as I was able to the scrub, and to the spider tree. I found the lamb waiting for me this time, his expression so sad. "My lord, I am here to learn!" I cried, eager to begin at once.

"Where is your nanny child?" the lamb replied.

I blustered and excused myself, I did not know of course. But the lamb would not say anything else to me. In a stink I went away kicking the dirt and headed back to the village. The poverty of the villagers hit me as soon as I walked through the ramshackle huts, it was something I had never thought about before, but the abjectness of life in that village, and in the villages nearby struck me for the first time. This was the life I had driven my nanny back to. I should say, my father was the chief of the village, and I as his only son and heir, a fortunate, cosseted young man".

Edmund did not reply, but smirked a little as his speculation was confirmed.

"I hurried back to the brush and threw myself at the feet of the lamb who was still waiting for me. In a flood of tears, I apologized, sincerely and with the greatest remorse. I felt his velvety nose kiss my head, he bid me rise and said the lessons had begun, that the first lesson is always the hardest to learn. Every day for a year I visited him and learnt from him. Sometimes the lessons were difficult, sometimes the easiest thing in the world. Soon after that my father decided it was time I follow in his footsteps and train for military command. I was distraught, but the lamb convinced me I must honour my father's wishes, and so I began to train. I was of course, excellent." Ashir grinned a little, the humour lightening the arrogance of his words.

"And so I grew, and by the age of 12 was ready for my first military campaign. My father took me with him to battle. Sad as I was to leave my friend the lamb I was excited to be a man at last. You will of course know sire the horrors of a battle-field, the stench of death and despair, the fear of men acid in the air, blood and guts and excrement, that is something that never leaves you. Men who claim to love the fight, they are fools, and they are liars. To keep your men alive, to keep something of yourself as you kill another person, that is the only way to survive through it. And that was what I learnt through those long hard years of campaigns. At 15 my father was killed at the battle of Roushein, on the eastern ridge of Calormen, a small skirmish and not befitting of his military prowess. But so it goes sometimes. After that, I was the chief and protector of my village. I returned home with my men, broken and weary. Young in body, but so old now in spirit. I looked forward to reuniting with my friend the lamb, eager for his wisdom. At the first opportunity I entered the scrub alone and I waited for him, but he did not come. I returned again, day after day, waiting for him but still he did not appear. At first I thought I had angered him, and then later that perhaps I invented him. I carried on with my life. I married, I looked after my village, my children. And when the call went out, I again went back to war. Years passed, last year my youngest son came to me, a sweet child. He confessed he had entered the scrub dared by his older brothers, determined to prove himself not a baby. He had lost his way, found the spider tree in the middle, and a lamb waiting for him".

Ashir smiled a little at Edmund, gentle this time. "The lamb told my son of a world beyond our village, of a green sacred place at the edge of the land. He filled his head with wonder. Then he asked my son to fetch me. Together we walked into the scrub, my son and I, towards the lamb and our destiny. Which of course, is you King Edmund".

Ashir stopped then and waited for the Narnian king to respond.

Edmund hissed in impatience "you have told me nothing".

"I have told you enough, sire".

"Aslan bid you join us? For what purpose?"

"Is that his name? Yes, he asked me to join you, to keep you and your sister safe. He said dark forces surround you both, that should you fall, this world will be consumed and evil will triumph. This is not a matter of war between countries, or assassination plots. Aye…" he held up a hand to stop Edmund's interruption "I know your true purpose in this land. I have been tasked to keep you both safe, and that is what I and my men shall do. We do not seek to interfere with your journey, only to guard you. And once again my lord, I ask you to accept my fealty to you".

Ashir moved from his seat to again kneel before Edmund.

Edmund stared down at him unblinking, his face still, his eyes watching. "Your youngest son?" he asked.

"He is here with me, we hid him in my wagon until I knew you were who I was sent to find. He is still a child".

"Then why bring him?"

"Because sire, it was his destiny".

Edmund's face turned colder, "you might have condemned your own son to death?"

Ashir smiled "I hope not".

Edmund stood, "I accept your fealty Ashir of…?"

"Calabar, my lord"

"Ashir of Calabar, I accept you and your men's fealty to our service. May you bring honour to your house and loyalty to mine, in stead of High King Peter I do so accept".

Edmund offered his forearm to Ashir who returned the clasp with his own, he smiling bowed his head and repeated Edmund's words, the ancient pact binding them.

Just then one of the horses neighed loudly outside, as the sounds of men moving in the early dawn packing up belongings had evidently disturbed it.

With a gasp Lucy awoke too. She sat up abruptly the blanket gathered around her, all rosy skin and golden hair, Edmund felt that inexorable pull to her that never left him. Feeling his chest tighten, his breathing hitch, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. This need for her always dominating him. He forced himself to be calm and shrugged on a shirt and breeches. He knew that she was staring warily at Ashir who was smiling beguilingly back at her.

"At your service Queen Lucy" the infuriating man said. Bowing in the way of Narnian courtiers to her.

He heard Lucy's quick intake of breath and she turned wide-eyed at him for a sign as to how to reply.

Edmund sighed and handed Lucy her clothes which she quickly dressed herself with beneath the blanket.

"Ashir is now our ally Lucy" began Edmund ironically, raising a sardonic eyebrow at the man still bent before his sister.

"What can you mean?" she snapped back now fully dressed and pushing the blanket back to rise to her feet.

"Ashir?" Edmund gestured to the man, "care to explain?"

* * *

Susan stirred sleepily beneath the cool cotton blankets, feeling the solid hard body beside her, an arm locked about her waist, and nose and chin nuzzled into her hair. Stretching, she attempted to extricate herself.

She heard the half-growl at her ear, and the arm pull her further back against the body of the man next to her, securing her in place.

"Peter" she sighed.

He kissed her neck, and she felt him reach up to cup a breast.

"No, there's no time, and I cannot be here now, I must return to my quarters".

He was ignoring her, his hand now inching up beneath her nightdress.

She wiggled around to face him, his eyes were closed but his mouth smiling, he was still half asleep she knew. He crooked one eye at her, and bent forward to kiss her nose.

"Good morning my queen" he croaked.

Smiling Susan pushed him fully onto his back, and leaning over kissed him hard until he was properly awake.

As his hands came up to grip her arms, she successfully wriggled away from him out of the bed, and threw on her robe which she had discarded on the floor last night.

"So cruel sister" Peter said, propping himself up in bed, his arms crossed behind his head watching her.

She smiled at him, a promise for later, and turned to exit through the door hidden behind the tapestry.

* * *

Peter huffed his boredom, wishing this dull ambassador's reception at an end. He had given over one of the smaller halls at Cair Paravel to the ambassador from The Lone Islands who had requested an opportunity to host a small gathering for the purposes of networking with the other ambassadors and officials currently stationed at the Narnian palace. Although Peter knew his real object of desire to be one of Susan's ladies-in-waiting, who just at this moment was dancing with The Lone Islands ambassador, and by the look of her pink smiles, he was successfully winning her over.

Turning away from the couple, Peter sought out his sister in the crowd, catching sight of her gleaming dark hair, threaded through with silver crystals, she gave the impression of constellations in the sky. He allowed his eyes to drift down her body, the dark blue dress so simple in design but artfully clinging to every curve. She was a master at the art of inspiring desire in men, and Peter knew there was not a man here who did not want her, including that damned ambassador though he was all for making calf-eyes at her maid.

Surrounded by officials from all of the different nations currently residing at the palace, his sister seemed to be successfully holding some sort of democratic congress Peter thought with an amused snort, the humour tempering the unexpected frission of jealousy he felt watching her with other men.

Theirs had never been a relationship built on possession and ownership, but rather an equal partnership with both parties accepting only the pleasure the other would willingly give. They worked better as partners, Peter knew, it was what they had always agreed upon, when this arrangement between them had first been decided. And yet…though she might not want it, and though he would not force it upon her, the thought that she was his and his alone echoed through his brain.

Susan looking up caught his eye, and he watched her crimson lips smile that secret smile that was for him alone, it reassured him and he nodded slightly back at her.

She had insisted upon this gathering, that they agreed to the ambassador's request. He knew she was still convinced there was a mole in the palace, and was doing her best to ferret the information out of the half-drunk, half-in-lust officials currently playing at being courtiers to her, fetching her drinks and vying for her attention.

He forced himself to turn away to speak to some of the other guests. He was glad King Lune had returned to Archenland, no longer could they pretend Corin was still a guest at the palace when he had not been seen for the past 2 weeks.

Peter found himself trotting out the same lines in response to queries from the guests, yes Corin was well, but he had had to return to Archenland with his father. No Edmund was no longer at the palace, but surveying the borders, yes Lucy was still visiting Mr Tumnus in the northern quarter of Narnia, no they did not know when to expect her back. That last question had come from a particularly eager young buck, an admirer of Lucy's Peter recalled, his round cheeks blushing as he asked the High King about his sister.

Peter fixed him with a steely glance, "we expect her to visit her fiancé, Prince Corin after seeing Mr Tumnus", he said warningly to the young man.

"Of course, sire" he said quickly in response, his eyes on the ground, cheeks burning.

Peter smiled a little in response, and relenting said "I shall be sure to let her know you asked after her when next she writes".

The young man bowed his thanks, and Peter moved on.

The sound of laughter interrupted his thoughts, the men around Susan had grown bold and wild in her favour, and were shouting over each-other in the hopes of making her laugh. She raised one elegant eyebrow at Peter in quizzical amusement and turning responded to the joke one of her admirers whispered in her ear.

Sighing in disgust, Peter made his excuses and left the hall, walking until he found the small terrace that overlooked the garden, the sweet-smelling flowers on the vines perfumed the night air and shielded him from view as he stared out onto the still garden below. He could faintly hear the raucous noise of the party from where he was, but the hum of insects at work and the quiet breeze calmed him, as he leaned against the marble balustrade.

As was happening more and more, his thoughts turned to Edmund and Lucy, and to the quest he had so foolishly agreed to. The idea of either of them in danger turned his stomach, had him feeling queasy with fear. He should not have let them go. Though they did what they must for Susan, and the idea of anything happening to her was so abhorrent that Peter refused to even countenance a future without her, the fact of it was she was his to protect first and utmost. He should have been the one to lead the mission to kill Rabadash, it should be Edmund here in Narnian, scheming, clever Edmund, his agile brain much better served in discovering the traitor in the castle.

He was interrupted in his thoughts of self-loathing by a pair of slim white arms which came around his waist, and a soft body against his back. The smell of her as ever, irises and sandalwood, comforted and aroused him.

"Why do you hide my king?" she whispered in his ear.

"I fear for them" he replied softly, staring down at the shadowed trees beneath them, his breath hitching at the thought of Lucy, still a child, in peril.

"I know" she said, and rested her forehead against his back "as do I".

And then with the utmost gentleness, she kissed his neck up until his earlobe which she sucked, her hands questing down his front until she found his trousers.

With a gasp he turned to look at her over his shoulder. She was so beautiful in the moonlight, the crystals reflecting the sparkling light in her eyes as she smiled at him. He turned her so she was resting against the thick marble balcony and pushed up her dress reaching for her. Usually so careful, she would not let him reveal their relationship outside of the privacy of their rooms, but he could sense that she wanted this now as much as him.

He made love to her quietly and intensely against the balcony, their muted gasps and sighs the only noise to disturb the peace of the garden. And when they had finished, he rested his forehead against hers and tenderly kissed her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"They will come back to us" she whispered to him intensely "by all that is right and just, they will return".

He kissed her again in response, before taking her hand to lead her to his room


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

A/N: Wow it has been a long time. And what a year 2016 has been…

Anyway, apologies old and new friends. I am the literal worst. Hope this chapter makes up for it, sort of? A little bit? A smidge? A…I'll shut up now.

(Story reminder for those, including me, who might need it: Edmund returns home after a long absence to find Lucy and Corin engaged to be wed, Rabadash steals into Cair Paravel to attempt to kidnap Susan but is discovered and escapes, a spy is suspected to be at the Narnian court passing information to the Calormese. Edmund leads a small band including Lucy and Corin into Tashbaan to stop Rabadash once and for all, they join forces with Ashir a Calormese trader and rebel sworn to the service of Aslan, the group journey into the heart of the Calormese kingdom).

"It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it" – Nelson Mandela.

* * *

Lucy felt ridiculous. The women continued wrapping the gossamer-thin material around her body, laughing and talking amongst themselves paying no attention to her, lifting her arms and moving her like a doll. Her hair was oiled and curled, her face painted and musky perfume dabbed on her neck, her breasts, and to Lucy's horror in-between her legs. Her attempts to speak or move were rewarded with a slap and a loud tut, and in the end she stood and endured the treatment until they were finished, and the silk veil draped over her head.

"Passable". That was Merit, Lucy knew, the housekeeper to Ashir and mistress to this squawking rabble.

Lucy subtly tried to pull the clinging material away from her body and felt a hard pinch to her elbow in response. Crying out in pain, she was turned sharply around and a mirror was placed close in front of her so she could see herself through the gauzy material of the veil.

A temptress stared back at her, the gold veil over her head only drawing attention to her large kohl-rimmed eyes and lush red lips. Invitation and desire peeked out of every curve, behind each shy glance as she flickered her eyes towards and away from the glass.

"It will do. We have no more time now" said Merit brusquely, taking Lucy's arm and pulling her out of the room and along the cool marbled corridor of Ashir's house. "If I had a month with you I could craft something believable, but this…" she snorted and paused in front of an ornate wooden door. Giving it a sharp rap she waited until she heard a noise inside, and then pushed Lucy through into the room.

The three men inside rose to their feet as she stumbled in, Edmund moving forward immediately to steady her. His hands brushed the thin material on her shoulders and she heard the swift intake of breath as he gazed down at her.

Without taking his hands from her he turned to Ashir behind him. "No" he said sharply.

"Come Edmund, you know she must. It is the only way". The bearded man faced Lucy and drawing into a deep bow said to her "you look lovely my dear – enchanting".

"No" Edmund repeated. "It's too dangerous, with her looking as she does, he won't be able to resist. I won't be there to protect her". Lucy felt his hands tighten, a tic started in his jaw as his eyes met hers through the veil.

This plan cooked up by Ashir, Corin and Lucy - with grudging acceptance by Edmund - had Lucy being handpicked by Rabadash to serve in his harem. Security at the Tisroc's palace was understandably strict but had been beefed up in recent weeks following the attack at Cair Paravel, according to a housemaid at the palace in Ashir's pay. The only way in or out of the palace was by the approved sanction of Rabadash's personal secretary Afzal Ishmal who carefully monitored all comings and goings with a meticulousness which bordered on obsessive. The only new guests permitted to have access to Rabadash and his private wing were his women. The plan had been for Lucy to gain access, and to let in Edmund and Corin at an appropriate time to finish the Calormese prince. It was always a risky strategy, and now that the appointed time drew near and Lucy bedecked as she was in the garb of a concubine, it was too much for Edmund.

He imagined Rabadash seeing her, the light clinging fabric leaving little to the imagination, her blue eyes made even larger by the kohl, her hair newly dyed to match Susan's…she was a reminder of their elder sister but made of flesh and sensuality. It was unthinkable, unbearable what she might have to endure, and a price too high to pay.

"Surely one of Merit's women could do this" Edmund began, appealing to Ashir.

The older man sighed "Edmund, we have discussed this again and again. What do you suppose we are setting out to achieve? Is this some simple task that can be handled by any person? I trust Merit with my life, she has grown up with my wife – but the women in her employ, no. We are asking this person to risk their life, as well as their body – and for what, to free your lands", here he looked to Corin too "from a man who would seek to destroy them. It is a giant ask, and far beyond that which Lucy should face, but she is the only one who can do this".

"I say no", repeated Edmund angrily staring down into Ashir's face "We will find another way. I won't risk Lucy like this".

"Please, be reasonable sire".

"Does no-one care what I have to say?" interrupted Lucy looking between the two men close to coming to blows. Corin had wisely kept quiet, and retreated to a corner of the room.

"Of course, dearest" Edmund turned back towards her.

She held him off with a hand "Time is not our friend. We have been away now for almost 2 months in my estimation. The only thing we have is the element of surprise, we know that there is a spy in Narnia, and we know that Rabadash does not expect this attack now. We have to do this now, do you not see? We will not get another chance like this?"

"Please Lucy" Edmund cried capturing her hand.

"Do you think I am not terrified brother? Of course I am, but I am more scared of a future where a mad man would steal my sister, would hold our countries to ransom. I do not believe the Tisroc or his people want this war anymore than we do. There is only one person who is a threat to us, and one person who must be dealt with".

She smiled at her brother "didn't Susan say I had to come with you? That the mission would fail if not? Does this not seem like the role I must play?"

"And what if he forces you? What then?" Edmund whispered low, his arms around her, his heart breaking.

She smiled sadly, "I will deal with that possibility should it come to that, but I hope not".

A smart rap on the door stopped the conversation and Merit poked her head round addressed Ashir, "Master, it is time. If she" nodding towards Lucy "is to come, it must be now".

Lucy responded quietly "I am ready".

Edmund pulled her veil aside and brokenly kissed her "I will come for you, tomorrow. Send me the sign and I will come. I will kill anyone who stands in my way".

She smiled at him, nodded at Ashir and Corin and followed Merit from the room.

* * *

Later Lucy could not accurately recall what the journey to the Tisroc's palace had been like. She was aware that she rode in a sedan with a few of the other girls to be offered. But if they spoke she would not have been able to say about what, she could barely remember what any of them looked like.

Lucy knew a guard checked over them before letting them through, his probing hands lingering on her body, and his onion breath hot on her face as he examined her veil, but the odd detached feeling shielded her from the situation. The scream of horror that she felt within her, burrowed down into her depths to be processed at a later date.

Finally, they stood before Afzal, Rabadash's secretary. Merit behind them, poking their backs to make them stand straighter, they could hear her tuts and sighs of disappointment as the short ferret-faced man surveyed them.

"I apologise for bringing you such a sorry lot of nobodies, oh exalted lord" Merit said to Afzal, bowing low "beasts and heffers, I am ashamed that you should see this".

If Lucy did not know the ways of the Calormese court she would have been offended, but this dance of civility each protesting their own unworthiness was the way of business here.

"I protest" said Afzal, his smile oily "such visions of loveliness have never before graced the Tisroc's (may he live forever) court. It is I who am blinded by these fragrant beauties".

"No, no, my lord, you are too kind. I fear we must leave at once. I can see now how foolish I was to bring these wretches into your sight" and tapping the women on the back she signaled for them to depart.

Afzal interrupted their weak attempts to back out of the room. "My Lord, Prince Rabadash is of course most discerning when it comes to choosing his partners. He will require only one this time to satisfy his needs".

"One?!" squawked Merit, dropping all pretence of her obsequious tones. "But, my lord, we did agree three did we not? These girls have been trained from birth for this, for our Prince to please only him…"

"I have no doubt" smirked Afzal, "do not fear good lady, you shall be rewarded well. And I will still take three, to give the prince his choice of course".

Stepping closer to the women he examined them closely each in turn, his manner now entirely business like, as he coldly weighed the breast of one in his hand and frowned over the teeth of another. Stopping before Lucy he did not bother to conceal his look of delight "perfect", he muttered to himself, stroking a lock of her dark hair, his small hands skimming her body.

She stared straight ahead as she had promised Edmund she would, and she endured.

"I'll take these three" Afzal pronounced finally, lazily pointing at Lucy, a girl on her right and another at the end of the line.

Merit pursed her lips, and Lucy could tell this was not the outcome she wanted but nodding she joined Afzal as the two of them hammered out the cost.

"I'm so glad to be going back home, aren't you?" whispered a young-looking Calormese girl on Lucy's left to her neighbor.

"No she's not" derided the black girl who had also been chosen next to Lucy "as Madame Merit said, we have all been trained to serve the prince". But the girl said it slightly sneeringly and Lucy sensed the anger underneath the surface.

"I'm Neema" she said to Lucy, quickly as Merit and Afzal turned back towards them.

"Lacey", Lucy replied using the agreed-upon name, that was close enough to her own that she would automatically respond to it.

"Girls I must bid you farewell. Please go with your new master and serve him well", said Merit nodding her head at them.

"But what happens to those not chosen?" hissed Neema at her former mistress in anxiety.

If looks could kill, Neema would have been struck on the spot, but it was instead Afzal who jovially replied to her "please do not worry, O dark beauty, we will find homes for you all" and smiled at her in such a way that it became clear he had chosen her for him.

Lucy supported a half-fainting Neema, as the three women followed Afzal further into the palace and towards the quarters of Prince Rabadash.

The other girl walking beside Lucy was a quiet striking looking girl with red hair, small but perfectly formed, Lucy could see why the secretary had also chosen her.

"In here if you please ladies" gestured the man, his gaze lingering on Neema as she walked past into the small plush room, adorned with velvet settees and fruit. "There will be a guard on the door, so please don't do anything silly, and as you will see" gesturing to the balcony with the terrifying drop outside "we are a long way up. Do make yourselves comfortable, I shall return for you shortly".

Shortly in Calormese terms, clearly meant, a few hours, as Neema and the red-haired girl curled up on the couches to rest, seemingly preferring silence to conversation. Lucy strode over to the balcony, gasping a little at the sheer drop below. The castle was so inaccessible, only the drawbridge giving access. She could not imagine how she might sneak Edmund and Corin into the palace to complete their mission, when she reminded herself with a sudden shake that she was also trained in battle, could also kill a man if necessary. It looked like that this monumental task would now fall to her. To prevent war she told herself firmly, but still felt shudders of revulsion at the idea of taking a man's life.

It was early evening by the time Afzal returned for them, Lucy had been pacing the small room for hours, her detachment fully worn off and her nerves sparking with anxiety. Neema and the other girl watched her in a weary fashion, and had then taken to assessing and repairing their appearances in the mirror in the room, ready for the meeting with Prince Rabadash.

Lucy had belatedly examined her appearance after a reminder from Neema, she knew it was important that she be the one chosen, but the iron fist currently clutching her stomach was convincing her that she should have tried to escape.

Merit's work was good, and Lucy appeared as lovely as she had that morning, albeit paler and with a set look to her jaw. Afzal certainly thought she appeared ready, as he beamingly patted her back as he gestured for her and the other girls to follow him from the room.

Up and down winding corridors, through indoor gardens, and past sparkling pools, intricate wall decorations and whispering servants, Afzal led the girls with the two guards following behind. Eventually he came out into a large walled garden, where lush tropical plants perfumed the heavy air, still warm from the day, and the setting sun cast the waiting prince lounging on his divan in rich oranges and reds.

Rabadash was an undeniably handsome man, his body firm and muscular and his skin the colour of chestnuts. But the twirling black moustache did not hide the sensual cruel slant to his mouth and the derisive look he through his advisor signaled the horrors that awaited those who worked in his service.

"My prince", Afzal prostated himself on the ground and signaled to the girls that they do the same. From her vantage point on the stone path, it was hard for Lucy to see much of anything, but she was aware that white slippered feet were making their way closer to her.

"What have you brought me here?" she heard a cold voice ask.

"Three of the greatest beauties in Calormen, all vying for the pleasure to serve you" answered Afzal, his voice muffled as he kept his face pushed down into the ground.

"I see", Lucy heard Rabadash say quietly, and then more loudly "up".

The girls rose to their feet along with Afzal. "Not you, dog" Rabadash sneered, and kicking his advisor's legs out from under him, forced him back down onto the path.

The prince circled each girl in turn, looking deeply into their eyes as he roughly clutched at them, enjoying the red-headed girl's involuntary flinch and Neema's pasted smile but distant eyes. Lucy could not help it, she glared at him as he held her, maintaining eye contact as he ripped her veil away. She knew if Merit were here, if Afzal could see, even if Ashir were present, all would have made her avert her eyes, bow her head and give the prince the respect he was due. But she could not, and the disgust she felt at his touch washed over her featutres.

"Very good" whispered Rabadash, not looking away from her. "You have a look about you, like my future queen and I would warrant you are just as stubborn, just as proud. I shall enjoy breaking your spirit my sweet flower".

He signaled for Afzal at last to rise, and to take the other girls away. Lucy caught sight of the look of anguish on Neema's face, as Afzal put a hand around her waist to draw her away.

"My prince", Lucy croaked, her voice rusty from not speaking for hours. She sensed all eyes on her in shock, for daring to address the prince without his permission. Fortunately luck was on her side, as he appeared amused. He nodded for her to continue "I would beg that I could keep these women", she gestured at Neema and the red-headed girl "as maids. They have served me well, and would…persuade me to serve others as well as they has me".

"You dare bargain with the prince, you slut" hissed Afzal in outrage and raising a hand he made to strike Lucy.

A move which had Rabadash screaming in outrage that Afzal dare touch his property as he knocked his servant to the floor, aiming a kick at his stomach as the man cowered.

"Forgive me, noble master" whimpered Afzal curling into a ball. Rabadash gestured for the guards to remove his advisor.

The prince smiled his cruel smile, staring down at Lucy "this means much to you, little one" he began, in a tone which indicated it was not a question.

She did not dare do anything other than look back at him, her eyes pleading, and as he took her in his arms and kissed her, his eyes watching hers the whole time for a hint of rebellion, she quietly let him. The bile rising in her throat, her skin creeping at the feel of him.

"Well" he whispered "perhaps it would be good to have an incentive for you to behave, would it not". And nodding he instructed his body servant to escort all three girls to the women's quarters.

He caught Lucy's arm as she was about to leave "be ready for my visit later, sweet flower", his pinch became painful but she forced her face to remain impassive as he smiled at her and then let her go.

* * *

A/N: Not perhaps what you were expecting? The plot thickens…will Lucy make it out of the Tisroc's palace in one piece? Let's hope so… reviews help her on her journey, bolster her courage and strengthen her will. No pressure though… ;)


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